
Class 
Book. 



C i 



LsA 3 



CopyrightN°_ 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT: 




Rev. G. P. Linderman 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY 



OF 



REV. GEORGE P. LINDERMAN 



AN ACCOUNT OF HIS LIFE, 
LABORS AND TRAVELS 




PRIVATELY PRINTED 
1911 






Copyright, iqii, 

By REV. GEORGE P. LINDERMAN 

Syracuse, N. Y. 



f> 



Press of Vail-Ballou Co. 
Bingbamton, N. Y. 



CI.A305528 



TO 

MY DEAR WIFE AND CHILDREN 

THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY 
DEDICATED 



I was born July 9th, 1838, in Cattaraugus Co., 
N. Y. My father's name was Jacob Linder- 
man, my mother's maiden name was Deziah Con- 
rad. My parents were pioneers, moving into the 
woods, clearing away the trees and building a 
good log house, in which they lived while they 
cleared and improved a fine farm, which was their 
home for many years. There were born to them 
eleven children, Adaline, Parismus, Bartlet (all 
dying young), Phedora, Susan (deceased), 
Frances, John, myself, Loewi, William and Adel- 
bert. 

I was early taught to work, by a skillful father 
and mother on the farm, and in the house, and 
could do either equally well. My educational 
privileges were very limited, attending a district 
school three months in the year, generally in the 
Winter time. The object aimed at was to be able 
to read, spell, write and cipher. But being of a 
studious mind I eagerly read everything I could 
get hold of which would give information on any 
subject, general or specific. Having but very 
few books I naturally turned my attention to the 
Bible, poring over its marvelous pages with ever 



2 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

increasing interest and reverence, committing 
much of it to memory, which has proved to be 
an almost inestimable blessing. So well did 
I succeed in Bible study, when I was eighteen 
years old, my father frankly admitted to me that 
he could not maintain any position on Bible doc- 
trine, which I opposed in an argument. 

At that time I was given a class of young men 
to teach in a Sunday School, thus beginning a 
blessed work, continuing about fifty years. The 
largest class I ever taught had sixty young men 
and women in it, and nearly all were converted 
and joined the church as a result. I was so eager 
to hear the Gospel preached, for it was only once 
in a great while a minister would come to our 
school house and speak to us; and when he did, 
he would yell and bellow and pound the desk 
with his fists in a frightful manner and call it 
preaching, that, after working hard all of the 
week on the farm, when I was fifteen years old 
I would walk on Sunday six miles and back again 
to hear the word of God and felt well paid for 
the effort. 

At the age of sixteen years I had the mis- 
fortune to break my left leg below the knee in 
an accident, and at that time my father sold his 
farm and moved his family to Illinois, Dekalb 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 3 

County, where he bought a fine farm, and I was 
taken along on crutches. This was in March, 

1854. 

When nineteen years of age I surrendered my- 
self to God, and took the obligations of a Chris- 
tian upon me. I was baptised and joined the 
Ohio Grove Free Baptist Church, and in the fol- 
lowing year was licensed by a vote of the church 
to preach the Gospel of Christ. And while I felt 
I would be obliged to yield if I did my duty, I 
hesitated, because I knew I lacked education and 
must have it if I hoped to succeed. The day I 
was twenty-one I bought Cruden's Condensed 
Concordance of the Bible, paying all I had, $1.50, 
for it. That was fifty years ago, and I look upon 
it to-day with tenderness, for it was the first book 
of my splendid library on which I am carrying 
an insurance policy of $1000 now. 

I employed all of my spare time in studying 
the best works I could secure on Theological sub- 
jects and histories, ancient and modern, with the 
ministry in view, doing all I could to educate my- 
self. I carefully scrutinized the language of the 
best writers, orators and preachers. I heard 
Beecher, Talmage, Bishop Simpson, Dr. Dunn, 
Day, Moody, Joseph Cook, A. B. Earle, etc., 
and later Spurgeon, Canon Farrar and Joseph 



4 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

Parker, of London, England, and all of the time 
searching the Scriptures. I can see now that 
while my progress was laborious, it was rapid and 
sure. 

At twenty-two years of age I was married to 
Miss Ellen H. Dow, daughter of John and Sally 
Horton Dow, of Illinois, a very talented and con- 
secrated Christian lady, who shared with me the 
privations, struggles, labors and triumphs of my 
career for twenty-five years, and then was called 
up higher to her eternal reward in Heaven. But 
she tarried long enough to witness my complete 
victory over my early surroundings and to know 
that I took my place and was reckoned with our 
most successful clergymen. 

In 1 86 1 the ominous war cloud hovered over 
the United States, and soon the fearful calamity 
of carnage and bloody strife was upon us. On 
the 7th day of August, 1862, I enlisted as a soldier 
for three years, or during the war, with Company 
C, 105th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was 
mustered into the United States service Septem- 
ber 2, 1862. 

I shared the common lot of a soldier, with its 
hardships and privations and duties. On one 
forced march we lost nearly one-third of the regi- 
ment of 1000 men. I was always with my com- 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 5 

pany and ready for duty day or night until April 
25th, 1864, when I was very sick and obliged to 
go to a hospital, May 2d, at Chattanooga, Tenn. 
When able to be moved, was put in a cattle car 
and sent to Hospital No. 8, Nashville, Tenn. 
When able to walk, I volunteered to do the duties 
of a nurse and helped care for the sick and 
wounded soldiers. I was called upon to hold 
men for all kinds of surgical operations, such as 
probing wounds to remove bullets, amputating 
arms, legs, etc., and lay out dead men, preparing 
them for burial. 

I made every effort I could to cheer the poor 
boys, read to them and wrote letters to their 
friends, and if very weak read the answers to 
them. After six weeks of nursing the Doctor 
said the strain was too great for me, as I was 
not improving as I should. So he put me on de- 
tached duty in the commissary department as a 
clerk, where I remained until the close of the 
war and was honorably discharged May 18th, 
1865. Then still feeble in health I returned to 
Illinois and joined my faithful wife, who could 
scarcely realize I was home to stay until she saw 
my discharge papers. 

I bought a small house and lot in Courtland, 111., 
where we lived until March 8th, 1866; then sold 



6 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

out and moved to Hillsdale, Michigan, where we 
entered Hillsdale College to prepare for the minis- 
try. I received a very hearty welcome by both 
faculty and students. A new world opened before 
me ; and long cherished desires seemed about to be 
realized; and slumbering ambition began to as- 
sert itself, for I soon caught the spirit of the 
institution and worked with a will to succeed. I 
felt I was cut loose from the world and was com- 
mitted to the best cause in the universe, with ex- 
perienced, capable teachers to give the instruc- 
tion I greatly needed. My instructors were 
President E. B. Fairfield, Professor H. E. Whip- 
ple, Dr. R. Dunn, Professor Collier, Professor 
Fowler, Professor McMillan, and others of 
blessed memory. It falls to the lot of very few 
students to be taught by a more brilliant corps 
of teachers, for the college ranked next to the 
University of Ann Arbor in the State. Also I 
was greatly benefited by the influence of those 
students who have since become famous for ability 
and achievement, such as Judge Moses A. Luce, 
Professor John Downey, Henry McKee, John 
Van Fleet, William M. Carleton, George R. 
Holt, Elmer Atkinson, Professor John S. Copp, 
Miss Dora Copp, Julia A. Benedict, Emily Bene- 
dict, Elon G. Reynolds, Ella Wade, Washington 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 7 

Gardner (Congressman), Senator A. J. Hopkins, 
Russel Tibbetts, Dalas D. Tibbetts, Rev. George 
H. Knapp and others, whose silent influence en- 
couraged me greatly, and stimulated me to follow 
their example as good, faithful students. I did 
not consider myself a first-class student, though a 
hard worker, but was pleased to find I stood well 
in my classes. The marking by the teacher at 
recitations was from 1 to 7, the latter being per- 
fect. My general average was 6 to 6i at the 
close of each term. I never failed to pass in ex- 
aminations. My relations with teachers and stu- 
dents were always pleasant and cordial. Also 
with the faculty. 

Desiring to reduce to practice what I learned, 
I secured two appointments to preach in school- 
houses six to twelve miles away. With much 
anxiety and many misgivings, coupled with ear- 
nest prayer, I entered upon the work and was 
surprised to notice how well and kindly I was 
received by the people. The first pay I got on 
salary was six dozen fresh eggs. 

Desiring to learn as fast as possible the art of 
public speaking, I joined the Literary Theological 
Society and was expected to write and deliver 
orations, read essays, recite declamations, and de- 
bate questions assigned me by a committee, for 



8 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

criticism by a competent critic, and be fined $1.00 
if I failed to respond. I never failed, for I 
joined for the discipline and experience it would 
afford me. I was appointed to sing in the en- 
tertainments each Monday evening with the best 
bass singer in Hillsdale, D. D. Tibbets, of Iowa. 
My part was to sing either treble or tenor, as 
required, and I was soon complimented for hav- 
ing the best tenor voice in the city and was often 
the recipient of lovely bouquets of flowers. 

I soon developed a great love and adaptability 
for debate. There were generally two on each 
side — -affirmative and negative — the contest was 
decided by the President, who took notes and 
summed up according to the arguments, and at 
the close would announce his decision. We were 
obliged to discuss a question if we were on the 
side we did not believe. In such cases I would 
not say I believed it, and leave my opponents to 
beat me if they could. On one occasion the sub- 
ject was, "Resolved, That there is probation 
after death." I was appointed chief speaker on 
the affirmative. There was much speculation as 
to what course I would pursue, as all knew I did 
not believe it at all. I wanted the discipline so 
made careful preparation, leaving the Bible un- 
touched. 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 9 

I decided to argue in an interrogative manner 
on philosophical and technical grounds, which I 
did; but my opponents could not meet me. So, 
seeing the question would be decided in my favor, 
I wished to set myself right before a fine audience 
and in closing said, "I have a right to the question 
and claim it, notwithstanding I do not believe one 
word of it," and left the rostrum. Pandemonium 
broke loose and I received a regular ovation. I 
never lost but one question in three years. At 
the close of the debate a fine young man who sym- 
pathized with the doctrine of universal salvation, 
came to me and said: "You have produced argu- 
ments you cannot meet." I replied: "If I can 
have the other side I will argue this question with 
any student in this college, yourself not excepted, 
and be glad of the chance"; but he did not accept 
the challenge. My main desire in all I did in this 
society was to gain complete mastery over myself, 
to be able to say just what I wanted to say, and 
how to develop an easy, commanding, graceful 
manner, and flow of language, and to this end 
directed all my energies; and so well did I suc- 
ceed that in giving an oration in a prize contest 
I was marked 7 in manner and gesture, and soon 
after was elected president of the society. 

March 3d, 1867, I began holding a series of 



io AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

revival meetings six miles north of Hillsdale, to 
last through a vacation. This was my first effort 
in this line of labor for the Master. As a result 
about fifty were converted and a church was 
formed and I was chosen its pastor. 

A request was sent to the quarterly meeting 
for my ordination, resulting in the appointment of 
a council, consisting of Dr. R. Dunn, Professor 
H. E. Whipple and Rev. D. L. Rice, all of Hills- 
dale, who examined me and reported favorably. 
So, accordingly, I was ordained to the Gospel 
ministry, April 21st, 1867, Professor H. E. 
Whipple preaching the sermon, Professor Fowler 
offering prayer, Rev. C. Reynolds extending the 
hand of fellowship. From that memorable day 
I have been counted with the clergymen of the 
Free Will Baptist denomination and have shared 
largely in its struggles and glorious triumphs. 
Sixteen months after I went to Hillsdale to at- 
tend school, I returned to Illinois with my wife 
to visit her parents and many of my own friends, 
and the officers of the M. E. Church of Courtland 
courteously tendered me the use of their pulpit 
two Sundays, which I accepted. The first one the 
house was filled to the doors, and the second 
the house was not only filled, but the windows 
were opened and people sat in their carriages and 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN n 

stood outside, so all could hear the Word of 
God. This welcome by my old neighbors deeply 
touched me and strengthened my purpose to prove 
myself worthy of the honor they paid me. 

Very soon I was waited upon by a committee 
representing the citizens and business men of the 
town, which offered me the largest salary that 
had ever been paid to a clergyman there, if I 
would preach there every Sunday. As I was still 
in school of course I respectfully declined, but 
felt grateful for their good will and best wishes. 
I wish to say here that Mrs. Linderman not only 
attended the school with me, and made a wonder- 
ful record as a student, but stood by me in every 
effort I made to improve all opportunities for 
educational advantages and to become the best 
preacher of which I was capable. No sacrifice 
was ever too great for her to make to help me. 
All honor to her name and much of my success 
is due to her untiring efforts and influence. 

April ist, 1869, I accepted a call to the Rome 
and Cambridge churches in Lenawee County, 
Mich., and reluctantly left the college. These 
churches were four and one-half miles apart. I 
was to have $600 the first year, but received 
nearer $800 than $600, as promised. From the 



12 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

very beginning the blessing of God rested upon 
our labors. Congregations rapidly increased, 
conversions multiplied, Sunday Schools flourished, 
and prayer meetings and spiritual interests grandly 
sustained. At Rome a good new parsonage was 
built and paid for, and the church was repaired 
and painted outside; also painted and papered 
inside. 

At Cambridge the church was owned by the 
Free Baptists and Wesleyan Methodists together. 
We bought their share, paid for it, repaired it and 
painted the church outside and inside, built a long 
string of good new horse sheds and put the prop- 
erty in a splendid condition. 

In the four blessed years we were there I con- 
ducted two series of revival meetings in each 
church, resulting in more than 150 additions to 
the churches, and left them strong and pros- 
perous. 

April 1st, 1873. Accepted a call from the 
church at Paw Paw, Michigan; $800 a year. 
Shipped goods by railroad, my wife went on the 
cars, and I drove a lively pair of matched four- 
year-old colts across the country; distance, 100 
miles. 

I found the church greatly weakened and serv- 
ices suspended for over six months on account of 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 13 

differences of opinion regarding a pastor having 
been dismissed by vote of majority. 

The division affected fully one-third, if not one- 
half, of the members; the Sunday School all 
dead, with the children merged into other schools 
and prayer meeting almost abandoned. 

'The reliable members rallied and God blessed 
the church in a marvelous manner. During the 
five following years we were blessed with four 
precious revivals. Most of the disaffected mem- 
bers returned and took up their walk with the 
church, and more than 200 members were added 
to it — a success which no other pastor of any de- 
nomination ever enjoyed in the town before or 
since. 

April 1st, 1878. Accepted a call from a new 
church at Grand Ledge, Eaton County, Michigan, 
where a fine work was done and many conversions 
were secured and fine additions made to the 
church. My wife was very sick there and we 
stayed only two years. 

I omitted saying that in the five years I was 
pastor at Paw Paw, I solemnized sixty-six mar- 
riages and received, above salary, for weddings, 
funerals and lectures, $500. May 1st, 1880, I 
accepted a call to the church in Phoenix, Oswego 
County, New York. This church had a nice new 



14 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

brick house of worship, but a mortgage on it of 
$1,600. I was pastor there four years. Every 
dollar of the debt was paid, every seat was nicely 
cushioned at a cost of over $300, and a new 
organ was bought for the church, and through 
precious revivals I was permitted to conduct, 
about 150 were added to their number. When 
we closed our labors there the church was free 
from debt. In May, 1884, I accepted a call to 
the church at Lake View, Susquehanna County, 
Pa. This church was suffering from the influ- 
ence of a very unwise preacher and badly divided, 
as many of its members had absented themselves 
for five years. Within six months a thorough 
reconciliation was effected and all of those who 
had absented themselves for years returned and 
resumed their efforts to build up the cause of 
Christ in the dear old church home. In Septem- 
ber I conducted a series of revival meetings, 
which resulted in many conversions and adding 
about fifty to the church. We also built a nice 
addition to the parsonage and painted the church 
and paid every dollar for improvements. 

It was while at this place my wife was taken 
dangerously ill with chronic inflammation of the 
stomach, and after suffering terribly for thirteen 
weeks died. 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 15 

Only those who have passed through such a 
bereavement can realize my loss, or sympathize 
with one left among comparative strangers, as 
we had no children, all alone. All that the kind 
people could do they did do, and the whole church 
in a body sat as mourners at the funeral, and we 
gently laid her away in the silent resting place 
appointed for all living, with the sweet thought 
in the heart we will meet you again where none 
will ever say, I am sick. I looked for help to 
Him who said, "I will never leave or forsake 
you," and he fulfilled His promise. Instead of 
repining and being discouraged because of my 
irreparable loss I kept right on doing the best 
work I could for the church and unsaved men. 

April 15th, 1886, I left New York City on the 
White Star line steamer Adriatic for a trip in 
the Old World. 

My traveling companions were Dr. J. W. 
Craig, of Churchville, N. Y., and Rev. T. H. Grif- 
fith, of the same place. We steamed out into the 
North River and made for the ocean amid the 
din of blowing whistles, ringing of bells, the 
shouting of the people, while handkerchiefs were 
waved by those on board and those on the dock. 
Strange and tender emotions filled my mind as 
I watched my native land fade out of sight. As 



1 6 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

soon as we were fairly launched upon the sea and 
felt the tremulous motion of the great ship as the 
waves arose and fell, it was plain to see that 
many men and women were sea sick, a terrible 
experience which I escaped. Our accommoda- 
tions were good and food well cooked and served 
in abundance. To be sure of proper attention 
on our voyage we tipped the steward liberally and 
never lacked for oranges or anything else which 
he could supply. On the fourth day out we saw 
two monstrous whales, who seemed to be enjoying 
a frolic by spouting water and gamboling in 
great glee. Finally, when a storm began to play 
with the vessel as a child with a toy, I recalled a 
description of a storm on the sea by Dr. Tal- 
mage in noticing how the people resorted to 
prayer, said: "I tell you, men will pray straight 
to the mark, with a cyclone overhead, the ocean 
beneath them, and eternity so near you can feel 
its breath on your cheek." 

As nothing can be seen but sky and water, ob- 
jects of sublimity and awful grandeur, if one de- 
sires to get a faint idea of Almighty Power let him 
take careful survey of such surroundings; then 
wonder and adore. 

Early in the morning, April 25th, we were 
awakened by the loud cry, land ahead, and hastily 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 17 

appearing on deck and by the use of a spy glass 
the dim outline of the Irish coast could be faintly 
seen. After four hours of fast time made by 
the ocean greyhound, we dropped anchor in the 
Bay of Queenstown, one of the most beautiful 
harbors in the world. 

We visited Ireland, Wales, England, Holland, 
Belgium, Prussia, France, Germany, Switzer- 
land and Italy. My impression of Ireland was 
very pleasing and favorable. Cork is a fine city, 
with many nice churches and cathedrals, and rather 
a clean and enterprising town; but everywhere, 
beggars, old and young, clamored for money. 
Little girls, fantastically dressed to represent an 
angel, carrying a plate or little basket, urged their 
claims with a zeal worthy of a better cause. A 
well dressed oldish man asked me to help him, 
and all seemed to be perfectly at home in their 
line of effort. Near the beautiful lakes of Kil- 
larney is an estate of 1500 acres owned by the 
Earl of Kenmere, with a fine forest reserve where 
game of different species roamed and throve at 
will. Smooth gravel walks and driveways led in 
every direction, making the impression that no 
skill or labor had been spared to render the place 
enchanting. Broad, well kept fields surrounded 
a palatial residence, all indicating wealth, ease, 



1 8 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

and refinement. Only a short distance from this 
great estate we visited the ruins of an old 
monastery called Agadoe. Near it was a burial 
ground, and noticing a funeral procession ap- 
proaching a place where men were digging a 
grave I drew near. A coffin made of rough 
lumber lay on the ground containing the remains 
of a young lady, while the mourners waited for 
the grave to be dug. Noticing a pile of bones 
which the workmen threw out, I asked: "Are these 
human bones?" pointing to them; and one of the 
men said: "Yes, sir; we are in great straits in 
Ireland; we are so poor we have to bury our 
dead on the dead; three times to my personal 
knowledge has this grave been filled. When we 
find any bones we put them in a pile as you see, 
sir, and when the coffin is lowered we put them 
back again and cover them up again, sir. We 
are in great straits in Ireland." I sadly turned 
away, believing every word he uttered. 

On the way back to the hotel in Killarney we 
passed by a hovel made of stone, with a thatched 
roof made of straw, very low and poor; two goats 
were feeding near by in the yard. These goats 
furnished milk for a family of four living there. 
A lady appeared in the doorway, and as I saw her 
I told the driver to stop, and with much spirit he 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 19 

asked why. "I am going in there," I replied. 
He said: "Don't go in there, it is no place for a 
gentleman." I said: "If it is a fit place for a lady 
it is certainly a proper place for a gentleman." I 
was received very kindly, but the lady did not ask 
me to be seated. Appearances were worse inside 
than outside. There was no floor, only mother 
earth; an open fire place occupied one side of the 
room. There were two excuses for chairs. A 
barrel with a kneading board on it served as a 
table. In one corner were two small coops, one 
for hens and the other for geese; and close by a 
little stall for the two goats. In a dark corner 
behind the door was an old lounge with some 
rags on it serving as a bed, and on it lay a feeble 
old lady. My hostess said, "This is my old 
mother, eighty-four years of age; she is sick." A 
sweet little girl of ten summers leaned up close 
to her mother, gently crying. The lady said: 
"Don't cry, deary; don't be afraid, the gentleman 
won't hurt you." I said: "No, little girl, you need 
not fear me," and slipping some money into her 
hand and also into the hand of the mother, I 
bowed myself out of the presence of a lady 
worthy of a better destiny. A ride of six hours 
on a fast train through a changing country, some 
rich, some poor, brought us to Dublin, one of 



20 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

the finest, largest cities in Ireland. Fine impos- 
ing monuments erected in memory of great states- 
men and soldiers were to be seen on the principal 
streets. Trinity College is situated here, and 
many fine buildings, public and private, are an 
ornament to the city. We rode in Phoenix Park 
and saw the spot where Lord Cavendish, also 
Burke, were shot dead in cold blood. A herd of 
nearly fifty deer were feeding peacefully near the 
spot, wholly unconscious of the fearful crime 
which had deprived two good men of their lives. 
I left Ireland with the wish in my heart that the 
day would soon dawn when her last oppressor 
would vanish from the earth. Wales is a very 
nice country. The houses are not large, but well 
built of stone. Fine lawns and lovely flower beds 
give an air of taste and refinement, and even lux- 
ury, to the home. Thrift is a rule among the 
farmers and cattle raisers, as they have an ex- 
cellent market near by in the great city of London 
for all they can raise in every line of industry. 

One noticeable feature is very pronounced, the 
church and schoolhouse close together, which 
mean religion and education, God's method of de- 
velopment in the highest degree. Our route 
for a long time was skirted by the thundering old 
Atlantic Ocean on the left and the farming land- 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 21 

scape on the right, broken now and then by a lofty 
mountain peak, lending grandeur to the enchant- 
ing scene. It was on this trip on our way into 
England that Rev. Griffith and myself were re- 
minded of a boast of Dr. Craig — that no living 
man could steal his gold watch from his vest 
pocket — by the state of profound slumber into 
which the Doctor had fallen. I winked to the 
passengers to keep still while the watch and chain 
were carefully removed from the pocket and 
hidden under a seat cushion. After an hour or 
more the Doctor aroused himself and asked how 
long have I been asleep, and I said over an hour. 
He could hardly realize he had slept so long and 
reached for his time-piece. He felt in ever) 7 
pocket he had, jumped up and whirled around 
several times, grew red in the face and was one 
of the most badly frightened men I ever saw. 

Someone laughed and that told the story. He 
laid the theft to Griffith, and he, pointing to me, 
said he told me to do it. "Yes," I said, "if either 
of you do anything of which you are ashamed lay 
it to me." 

After a good laugh all around, we waked up 
to the fact that we were in the Mother Country, 
good old England. And soon an indescribable 
gladness thrilled me completely, as I saw in the 



22 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

distance the church spires and towers of London, 
the largest city in the world. 

With astonishing speed the train entered the 
city, and finally stopped at the great Houstan 
terminal, a very large depot. We were met by 
Dr. Craig's daughter and her husband, Mr. 
Buckley, who were studying hospital methods as 
a preparation for missionary work in Turkey, who 
conducted us to Brooks Hotel, where rooms had 
been engaged for us. My first impression of 
London was that of vastness, and the second was 
that of soot and fog. It is very seldom the case 
that the atmosphere is clear and bright. The 
streets are broad and generally well paved and 
clean. The houses are well built, but not im- 
posing. Of course there are immense business 
blocks and public buildings; and these are an ex- 
ception. 

The River Thames (Terns) runs through the 
city and is spanned by the celebrated London 
bridge and others made of stone, so solid that 
heavy vehicles are drawn across over them rapidly 
without any perceptible trembling. Great double 
decked omnibusses, drawn by two heavy horses, 
go tearing through the streets in every direction, 
carrying passengers to any and every part of the 
city. They are as dangerous to pedestrians on 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 23 

the streets as automobiles are in the city of New 
York, and will run over any person who may be 
in the way. The driver may yell, "Look out, 
there!" but make no effort to check the speed of 
his team. Two-wheeled cabs, drawn by one 
horse are everywhere in evidence and the polite 
driver for a reasonable fare will take passengers 
any place they desire. 

The underground railroad is a marvellous 
system of convenience and usually of safety. 
Trains run with great regularity only a few 
minutes apart, and if one is missed another soon 
appears. Wide, easy steps lead down to the 
stations from the street, where well lighted plat- 
forms make it easy to get on or off of the cars. 
The places for sight seeing are very numerous 
and some of absorbing interest. 

The London Museum presents a panorama of 
curiosities from all over the world. Among the 
striking objects demanding attention was the 
Rosetta Stone, discovered by Napoleon I in 
Egypt, which gave a key to the hieroglyphics on 
stones and monuments of Egypt, which has been 
a matter of very much speculation and mystery 
for ages. By reading the Greek on the stone 
and comparing certain characters of the hiero- 
glyphics the mystery was solved. 



24 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

The second oldest manuscript of the Bible 
is there. The Library is immense, contains 
15,000,000 volumes, and its shelf room measures 
sixteen miles in length. 

The National Art Gallery contains many very 
fine paintings. One of a lamb that from an 
overhanging rock had fallen into the sea and a 
grand large shepherd dog was jumping into the 
water to rescue it. 

Another revealed a fine dog with the utmost 
grief depicted on his face, with drooping head, 
sitting by a hat, a pair of boots and spurs worn 
by a soldier, and a saddle and bridle — all that 
was left of the rider and horse dear to him. 

At the Tower or Prison of London I saw a 
glass cabinet containing the crown jewels of the 
British Empire, valued at £15,000,000. 

Saw the block where criminals were killed and 
the ax by which they were beheaded. Also in 
the yard a tablet with the inscription: "On this 
spot Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Gray were be- 
headed in the sixteenth century. This was done 
by order of Henry VIII." I am glad the days 
of such butchery are over, banished by the Gospel 
of peace. The House of Parliament is a fine 
building; but situated on level ground, it bears 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 25 

no favorable comparison with the Capitol Build- 
ing at Washington, in America. 

The Crystal Palace is very large and beauti- 
ful, made of glass, of an arch shape, with alcoves 
and niches for statues and all exhibitions of art 
of every kind. In the center is an orchestra and 
a large auditorium, where celebrated singers 
furnish music on great occasions. The Royal 
Exchange or Bank of England is known as proba- 
bly the greatest mart of trade on the earth. Over 
the entrance is a great arch with fine large gilt 
letters, reading: "The earth is the Lord's and the 
fulness thereof." Psalm 24:1. It is no wonder 
that England is great, for God has said: u They 
that honor me I will honor," and this has been 
demonstrated through all ages. 

Went to the London Tabernacle to hear Rev. 
Charles H. Spurgeon. The church has an iron 
fence in front, and all who enter must first pass 
through a gate which is opened by an attendant. 
No one can enter until a contribution has been de- 
posited in a box, as none is taken in the church. 
From what I saw I believe a low estimate of ten 
cents each was contributed, and as there wer^e 
7000 people, at least, that means $700. Enter- 
ing the vast auditorium we were taken to the first 
gallery and given a seat close by the wall. Then, 



26 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

as the time arrived to begin the service, if seat 
owners were not in their places, they were filled 
by others. We were given a place where every- 
thing could be seen and heard. A door opened 
in the further end of the nave and 400 boys 
about fourteen years old, dressed neatly in gray 
uniforms, marched to a platform in front of the 
pulpit and quietly were seated. I was astonished 
to learn that those splendid, bright looking boys 
were children which had been picked up in the 
slums of London, gathered into an orphanage 
supported by the church, cared for, educated and 
Christianized; and when developed into manhood 
were sent to all parts of the world as preachers, 
teachers and missionaries, or useful private citi- 
zens, showing that proper teaching and training 
will overcome all obstacles of early surroundings. 
I will never forget the impression that was 
stamped upon my mind by the sight of those boys 
and the blessed result of Christ-like effort. A 
door back of the rostrum silently opened and one 
of the greatest pulpit orators of the ages ap- 
peared, the great Spurgeon. As he took his seat 
a man stepped to the front of the platform and 
waved his hand for all to arise and sing. He 
beat the time and led the singing without an 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 27 

organ. All seemed to sing with an inspiration 
of love, and the volume of voices arose with irre- 
sistible power like a billow of the sea. The 
reverence Spurgeon showed for the Bible as he 
stood to read was very impressive. His voice 
was musical, full, clear and pleasing, and so dis- 
tinct that all could hear every word and sylla- 
ble perfectly. When he prayed he appeared to 
simply talk to and with God. The text was 
II Kings vii, 3-4. He said the leprous men 
made a wise choice to enter the Syrian camp, 
but when they arrived there no enemy appeared, 
as all had fled. They found a great dinner, or 
food in plenty; but nobody to eat it. The applica- 
tion was very simple and forceful. When a sin- 
ner leaves all to follow Christ "He maketh even 
his enemies to be at peace with him," and when 
he is willing to meet the enemy of his soul, he is 
not there, and, the way is plain and safe. In 
coming to the Saviour, the poor sinner is perish- 
ing for the bread of eternal life and when he 
embraces him his hunger is perfectly met and 
satisfied, "for there is a fulness in God's mercy 
like the fulness of the sea." The service came 
to a close, like all earthly blessings, and I had the 
great pleasure of clasping his hand in friendly 



28 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

greeting, and leaving the presence of that won- 
derful man of God; I felt the enrichment of a 
benediction I will never outgrow. 

At 3 P. M. of the same day I listened to a 
masterly sermon by Canon Frederick Farrar, in 
Westminster Abbey of the Church of England, 
which is Episcopalian. This church is old, but 
fills a place of importance occupied by no other 
in the Empire, as Kings and Queens have been 
married there; and have also been buried there 
in a great mausoleum built at immense cost under 
the same roof. At once I recognized in the 
preacher the profound scholar and author of 
Farrar's "Life of Christ," and also Farrar's 
"Pictorial Life of Christ," books of great value 
in the literary world. 

At 7 P. M. of same day I listened to Rev. 
Joseph Parker, of the London City Temple, who 
was thought by some to be the equal of Spurgeon 
as a pulpit orator. That I was thrilled with his 
masterly presentation of the truth I am glad to 
confess. His broad knowledge of the Bible, of 
men and things, appealed to my deepest con- 
sciousness of human ability and power. Yet his 
voice lacked the mellow music of that of Spur- 
geon's, and the subtle persuasiveness of manner 
for which he was celebrated throughout the civi- 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 29 

lized world. Mr. Parker is the author of ''Park- 
er's People's Bible," a masterly and very valua- 
ble work, containing twenty-five volumes, of 
which I am a thankful possessor. At the close 
of this memorable day of opportunity and bless- 
ing, the most wonderful of my life, for I heard 
in one day the three greatest preachers of Europe, 
I retired to peaceful rest for the night, fully per- 
suaded that of these three great preachers, Charles 
H. Spurgeon stood first. 

The next day I went to visit City Roads Chapel, 
where John and Charles Wesley labored. Also 
they are buried there. I stood in the same pulpit 
and sat in the same old chair occupied by John 
Wesley for the last time over 100 years ago. 
Close by the side of the grave of the latter is 
that of Adam Clark, the renowned commentator 
of the Holy Bible, whose usefulness can only be 
known in eternity. I own the whole set of in- 
valuable books, and owe much of the success of 
my ministry to their influence. 

Just across the street is a burial ground, in 
which are the remains of Dr. Watts, the sacred 
poet; John Bunyan, author of "Pilgrim's Prog- 
ress," who died August 31st, 1688, and Daniel 
Defoe, author of "Robinson Crusoe," who died 
in 1731. 



30 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

My reflections, among the graves of these 
eminent men and great benefactors of mankind, 
were tender and full of gratitude. I visited St. 
Paul's Cathedral, claimed to be the most im- 
posing looking church in London, and if size 
counts, it is. From the dome I had a fine view 
of the whole city. In this church are many fine 
sculptured figures representing great men and 
events. The library contains over 9000 volumes 
of valuable books. This cathedral is an orna- 
ment to the city. Visited Windsor Castle, twenty- 
five miles away, country level and fine. Queen 
Victoria was absent, visiting Scotland. The 
Castle is on a hill commanding a very fine view 
for twenty miles around, and is very large, built 
of stone, with parapets and high towers for de- 
fense. A lovely park with regular rows of large 
trees and graveled walks on the north and east 
sides stretch away nearly a mile. We were ad- 
mitted to the Palace by liveried servants dressed 
in uniform to rooms pertaining to business of 
state, reception rooms, and banqueting halls and 
the Throne room. All were richly furnished and 
nice. One thing I noticed was that in every room 
we entered the door was quietly locked behind 
us, so we were practically prisoners, and on leav- 
ing any room the door in front was unlocked. 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 31 

My private thought was it was not wise to carry 
the thing very far with me, for the mightiest 
government on earth stood behind me, and the 
right of freedom was secure to me no matter 
where I might be. I learned afterwards that an 
attempt had been made by a crank not long be- 
fore to shoot the Queen, and locking the door 
was a wise precaution. Near by is Saint George's 
Chapel, where the Queen worships, and is very 
plain outside and within, yet tasty and pleasant. 
I visited the stables where the Queen's horses 
were kept, and found about seventy-five as fine 
animals as England could raise, and the mar- 
velous attention and care they received was four 
hundred times better than some of her suffering 
Irish subjects — men, women and children — were 
getting. I felt glad that I belonged to a gov- 
ernment where such oppression was not tolerated, 
but is too common in Ireland. 

April 30th, 1886. Left London for Paris, 
France. Took a steamer at Dover and crossed 
the English Channel to Calais. The passage 
was very stormy, with accommodations poor. 
For two hours we suffered from cold, wet with 
spray, while many were awfully seasick, Dr. 
Craig among them. The sailors put rubber 
coats on us, and collected twenty-five, cents each 



32 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

for the use of them. We paid and landed, glad 
of the opportunity to leave the English Channel 
behind us. A good train carried us 200 miles 
through a fairly good, level country, well tilled, 
to Paris, which we reached at 6 P. M. A gen- 
teel young man asked us where we wished to go, 
and we told him to the London and New York 
Hotel. He said he was going right there and 
would gladly show us the way. He proved to 
be a competent guide and showed us all over the 
city afterwards. Arriving at the fine hotel, we 
registered and the polite clerk, pointing to a 
handsome young French lady, said: "Follow 
her." She grabbed our three heavy handbags 
and led us a merry chase up two flights of stairs, 
and left them in our rooms, and with a pleasant 
smile bowed herself out and was gone. 

I believe Paris fully maintains her reputation 
of being the finest city in the world. Our first 
visit was to the Grand Opera House, not to see 
the play, for every seat was taken, but the house 
itself, as the best of its kind anywhere. Spa- 
cious, rich in every appointment, with wonderful 
decorations and stage scenery, it is a difficult mat- 
ter to see where it could be improved upon. The 
public square in the very heart of the city is in- 
describably fine, covering several acres in extent, 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 33 

with large fountains sending clear streams of 
water forty or fifty feet into the air, while the 
rays of the sun seemed to transform them into 
crystals of dazzling beauty. A tall Egyptian 
monument over eighty feet high, of one stone, 
stood near the entrance covered from the base to 
the top with hieroglyphics or figures of Egyptian 
characters or history. Near by was the spot where 
a guillotine was situated, where large numbers of 
people, both men and women, were beheaded by 
order of reigning tyrants. Am thankful those 
days of human butchery are over. Leading to 
the right is a wonderful boulevard extending a 
mile or more to the Arch Triumphant. The 
street proper is very wide, perfectly paved, with 
lovely rows of trees on either side; then a nar- 
row street on the left and right for horseback 
riding, and still another for a sidewalk for pedes- 
trians. All of these highways combined were 
lined with shade trees; also flower beds, full of 
bloom and beauty, lent their fragrance to the en- 
chanting scene. Houses along the way were 
among the very best in Paris. The Arch Tri- 
umphant is a large stone structure with arches 
running North and South about two hundred feet 
high, and was built in honor of Napoleon Bona- 
parte to celebrate his victories in war. From this 



34 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

arch eleven principal streets branch out through 
the whole city, one of them leading to the park 
where the great race course of France is situated. 
The Louvre is one of the largest and richest 
art galleries of Europe. The great hall is lined 
on either side with a bewildering display of art 
paintings and sculptured work of the old masters. 
There is so much to see and enjoy that time glides 
away unnoted and weariness suggests it is time to 
depart. The Church of the Invalids is where 
the remains of the great Napoleon rest in a won- 
derful mausoleum of red granite, fifteen feet long, 
ten high, and eight broad. As I viewed the 
last resting place of this great man, I recalled 
some of his deeds of daring and valor. Also 
what the poet said of him: 

"Yet, Spirit Immortal, the grave cannot bind thee; 
But like thine own eagle that soars to the sun, 
Thou springest from bondage and leavest be- 
hind thee 
A name that no mortal before thee has won." 

The Pantheon, church of all gods, is a very 
imposing edifice, with a high, large dome. It is 
not only used for great gatherings of the people 
on special occasions, but it is also used as a burial 
place, for in the basement mausoleums of fine 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 35 

workmanship have been put in place for the re- 
ception of the remains of the great and noble, 
who have finished their earthly career. Victor 
Hugo is entombed here. Also Voltaire, the in- 
fidel writer and blasphemer. 

Visited a large building called the soap factory, 
where carpets are woven of the finest and most 
costly texture. Also pictures of men and horses, 
or other animals were woven of the finest silk. I 
saw one of a man of full size about half done, 
and the weaver had worked on it over a year 
steadily, I was told. 

The Muse De Cluney contained over 10,000 
relics, consisting of dishes, furniture, weapons of 
war, jewelry, musical instruments of great variety. 
Chariots and sleighs used by Kings and Queens. 
The omnibuses constantly in use, were large 
double-decked vehicles drawn by three very large 
fine horses abreast. These buses were larger 
than any I saw in any other city on the continent. 

May 3d, 1886. We left this wonderful city 
of gayety and pleasure, of beauty and sin, with 
some sad and many feelings of pleasure and kind 
recollections. We took a night train for Geneva, 
Switzerland, and arrived at 9 A. M. May 4th, 
Went to Grand Hotel National. This fine city 
is celebrated for Swiss watches and jewelry 



36 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

manufactured here. Also the church where John 
Calvin preached 400 years ago. I sat in the old 
arm chair he used to occupy. Lake Geneva is 
close to the town, and is a large and beautiful 
body of water. We got our first fine view of 
the Alps. Old Mont Blanc, in awful grandeur, 
sixty miles away, with a crown of perpetual snow, 
looked down upon us from the clouds. The hotel 
was among the best and our impression of the city 
and its prosperous people was very favorable 
indeed. May 5th. Left for Turin, Italy. Our 
route presented beautiful and rugged scenery. 
On the left rocky boulders and broken landscape 
of hill and dale, and on the right some high 
mountain cliffs. High up on a large rock we saw 
a cross glistening in the sunlight, and reverently 
my heart said, "Emblem of suffering, of triumph, 
of glory, and of Christ." 

One peculiarity of snow-capped mountains is 
that when first seen, appear to be near; yet for 
.miles and miles seem to recede the closer you 
draw to them, until at last they stand forth in 
startling grandeur. One very lofty peak covered 
with eternal snow, I noticed with the rays of the 
sun beating on the ice and snow, sent up a mist 
which formed in a white fleecy cloud, delicate as 
tapestry, and seemed to me to be a curtain held 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 37 

by the hand of God, lest the eyes of the traveler 
might try to penetrate too near the city of the 
great King. In the valley was life, verdure, 
flowers, beauty, birds and song. The glory of 
summer smiled on all below, while stern, ever- 
lasting winter reigned among the clouds. Trees, 
no matter how steep the hillside, point up straight 
towards the sky. Women drive oxen and plow 
the same as men. Cows are used in a yoke, as 
oxen. Horses are small but fine. Women are 
swarthy and homely. Paths leading up the 
mountain side are built on a zig-zag plan, to the 
right twelve or fifteen rods, then an abrupt turn 
to the left the same distance, then to the right, 
and so on. Some farms are cultivated nearly 
up to the snow line, about 8000 feet. I saw a 
young girl shepherdess among the crags, accom- 
panied by a fine shepherd dog, tending her flock 
of sheep. We passed by a grand cascade, the 
water tumbling in wild confusion down the moun- 
tain side, and hurried away in a silvery stream. 
We passed through Mont Cenis (Cene) tun- 
nel under the Alps seven and a half miles long. 
It took twenty-five minutes to go through. This 
wonderful tunnel is a triumph of engineering 
skill. Every available acre of tillable land was 
utilized and cultivated with scrupulous care. 



38 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

Vineyards of grapes, also other fruits grew in 
abundance far up the mountain slopes. 

In leaving one country and entering another 
we had to have our baggage examined by the 
Customs officials. So at Modan we were detained 
long enough for this purpose, but in our case was 
but a mere formality. We then left Switzer- 
land and entered Italy. At 6:30 p. M. reached 
Turin, a fine city of 265,000 people. In the year 
200 Before Christ, the great Greek general, 
Hannibal, marched his forces to this city and 
took it. We went to Hotel Trombetta and 
found a good home for the stranger. May 6th, 
1886, took a carriage ride, visiting the principal 
places of interest. Crossed the River Po on a 
high bridge. The native Italian women in large 
numbers were washing clothes. They lined the 
bank of the river for some distance and worked 
with an energy sure of success. A smooth 
board four or five feet long and fourteen inches 
wide was pushed into the water and the women 
knelt on the gravel and rubbed the clothes on the 
board in the usual way, and threshing the fabric 
up and down in a violent manner. A Jewish 
Synagogue with spire 354 feet high was begun 
by the Jews, but sold to and finished by the city. 
The Royal Palace, occupied a part of the time 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 39 

by the King and Queen of Italy, is a large plain 
stone building, viewed from the outside; but enter 
and magnificence is seen on every side. Recep- 
tion rooms of every description in matters of 
State beggars adequate portrayal. Ceilings are 
covered with gilt work, or costly paintings of the 
highest art. In center of rooms hang chandeliers 
eight feet long and five wide, with pendants of 
cut glass and lighted by large candles. In one 
great dancing hall there were eight of such chan- 
deliers. The dining room was exceptionally 
fine, the table was twenty-five feet long and ten 
broad. Bedroom was wonderful, silk coverings 
and curtains of every device possible for comfort 
and elegance. Of all the rooms in this luxurious 
abode of Royalty, the place of secret prayer im- 
pressed me most. It was small, but well fur- 
nished; a low cushioned ottoman was close be- 
side a stand, covered with a rich cloth, on which 
lay a neat small Bible. Here Queen Mar- 
guerite, turning from all of the allurements of 
wealth and position, sought retirement where she 
could hold communion with God. When, after- 
wards, I saw this lovely Queen in Rome riding in 
State in the park, I doffed my hat to her with 
pleasure, knowing she sought consolation in 
Christ which this world cannot give. In the 



40 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

Arsenal we saw swords, spears, lances, guns, 
bayonets and all kinds of armor as weapons of 
warfare and protection, which had been used in 
preceding ages. In a fine public square is a very 
imposing monument built of rough rocks and 
stones to commemorate the completion of the 
Mont Cenis tunnel. These rocks and stones were 
blasted from the solid rock of the tunnel. No 
monument could be more appropriate to declare 
to future generations an achievement so moment- 
ous. On a high hill overlooking the whole city 
and surrounding country we took a position com- 
manding a panoramic view of this interesting old 
city, and gigantic mountains in the distance, and 
reluctantly said good-bye. At 2 130 p. M. left for 
Genoa. Most of the distance the country was 
comparatively level and good farming land. But 
near the city it was wild and rugged. At 6:25 
reached Genoa. On our way to Hotel De Laville 
I saw through the coach window a tall white 
marble monument close to the street marked 
Christofo Columbo, and instinctively I removed 
my hat in veneration of the name of the man 
who discovered America. This monument was 
erected by his grateful countrymen to perpetuate 
to generations yet to be, the undying fame of 
this wonderful man. The thrill of gladness I 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 41 

felt can never be forgotten while my memory en- 
dures. 

Genoa is situated on the Mediterranean Sea, 
and commands a fine view of the harbor. The 
sight of this great body of water glistening in the 
rays of the setting sun awakened in me strange 
emotions and hallowed memories. St. Paul 
rode upon its waves and was shipwrecked in a 
storm on that sea. Jonah was swallowed by a 
great fish in this ocean and converted his place 
of concealment and confinement into a room of 
penitence and prayer. He said: "I cried by rea- 
son of my affliction unto the Lord, and He heard 
me. Out of the belly of hell, cried I, and Thou 
heardest my voice." Jonah ii, 2. The noise and 
tumult of the sea cannot drown the effect of 
prayer. GoH hears the cry of His children, no 
matter where they may be. There are several 
fine cathedrals and churches here and many ob- 
jects of interest. The streets are quite narrow 
and crooked. Bluffs are high, overlooking the 
sea. 

Went to the Campasanto, or burial place of 
the dead. A high wall encloses a large area of 
level ground, laid out beautifully with fine gravel 
walks and lovely beds of flowers in full bloom. 
Entrance is through an archway, and turning 



42 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

to the right a broad marble walk stretches away 
twenty rods or more. A roof covers this walk, 
sustained by a wall on the right and a row of 
marble columns on the left. An abrupt turn to 
the left, for twenty rods, then another encircled 
the square, ending in a fine circular brick build- 
ing surmounted by a large dome, called the whis- 
pering gallery. A soft whisper uttered on the 
floor would return with startling distinctness. 
In this building many fine paintings and pieces of 
sculptured work were kept. To show how per- 
fect some of them were I paused at the figure 
of a child weeping over the grave of his mother, 
and in an instant my eyes filled with sympathetic 
tears induced by the marble mourner. In one 
place of the grounds, called the most sacred, 
earth from Jerusalem has been brought in suf- 
ficient quantities in which to bury the highly 
honored dead. The beautiful walk, of which I 
have spoken, was made of marble slabs, and on 
them were chiseled letters of days of birth and 
death of the dreamless sleepers underneath. 
And I soon realized that I was walking over the 
graves of the dead. Sad, yet pleasant, will be 
our memories of Genoa. 

At i :io P. M. left for Pisa. Tunnels were 
frequent, and some of them long. On this trip 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 4 3 

we had our first view of a lemon grove ; fruit had 
grown all winter. Reached Pisa at 6 P. M., find- 
ing a nice clean city, but not very large. My 
first visit took me to the leaning Tower. I had 
read and studied about it, but was not prepared 
to appreciate this wonder of the world. A mag- 
nificent structure of pure white marble, eight 
square. Eighty feet in diameter at the base 
and forty at the top, and one hundred and sev- 
enty-two high, and leaning thirteen feet from a 
perpendicular line, towards the South. There 
are seven stories in the structure; each one has 
a door leading from an inside spiral stairway at 
every floor to a balcony outside. About five feet 
from the wall a row of marble columns fifteen 
inches in diameter extends clear around, number- 
ing sixteen at the base and some less at the top, 
with a balustrade three feet high attached to the 
columns as a protection to the sightseer. I 
walked clear around at every landing, but was 
sure to hug the wall every time on the leaning 
side for fear I would tip the thing over. At 
the top is a large bell, and a man was ringing it 
as if his life depended on the vigor with which 
he did his work. From this elevated position a 
splendid view of the whole city lying to the 
South could be seen; also the nice orange and 



44 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

lemon groves and grape vineyards in all of their 
greenness and beauty. To the East a very fertile 
valley smiled on the industrious tillers of the soil. 
On the North a great, high mountain chain of 
snow covered peaks towered to the clouds in all 
their rugged grandeur, causing me to feel that if 
anything can rival the Alps in beauty and sub- 
limity of mountain scenery, it is the grand old 
Rocky Mountain chain in the land of the free, 
America. In the West, seven miles away, I could 
see the mighty, thundering Mediterranean Sea 
lying in the shimmering light of the sun of a per- 
fect day. I saw seven large vessels moving to 
and fro, their white sails fanning the breeze, and 
I realized that that body of water could carry on 
her bosom the commerce of the world. 

Much speculation has been indulged in regard- 
ing the reason for building the tower, and for what 
could it be used when completed. I find several 
answers to these queries. First, as a watch tower 
for protection against armed invaders. Second, 
the whole city could be seen day or night and an 
alarm could be given in case of a fire or any 
threatened calamity. Third, it was used, I am 
told, for astronomical observations. Galileo 
spent much time there studying the heavens, per- 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 4 5 

fecting the science of astronomy. It was erected 
about five hundred years ago. The reason why 
this tower leans is a question much discussed. 
Our party thought it had been built leaning and 
urged their views strongly; but I said no, it leaned 
before it was finished; the foundation settled 
gradually, causing it to lean, and when it ceased 
to settle was finished. And as proof of my posi- 
tion I called attention to the last story, the tallest 
of all, that it was straight and built so, to over- 
come the leaning tendency. They accepted my 
views of the case. The reason this wonderful 
tower does not fall is because the line of direction 
falls within its base. Near the tower, in the 
same square, is a rare old cathedral two hundred 
and forty feet long and one hundred wide. From 
a very high ceiling a lamp is suspended by a small 
iron rod. One night over four hundred years 
ago, Galileo, while attending church service, no- 
ticed a vibration of the lamp which gave him the 
idea of the pendulum, out of which grew our 
perfected timepiece. That lamp is still there. 
I saw it. It is hard to fully understand how 
much we owe to men who lived and worked won- 
ders long before we were born. All honor to 
them. 

May 8th. Departed for Rome at n 125 A. M. 



46 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

On our journey we saw much very rich farming 
and pasture land. Large droves of horses, 
herds of fine cattle, and flocks of sheep were 
seen most of the day. The cattle are good sized, 
with long, graceful spreading horns. All of a 
dun color, seemingly white, but dirty. In a field 
we saw eight teams of oxen plowing, eight for 
each plow, making sixty-four in all. The houses 
where the farmers live are all in little villages. 
They go to their work in the morning and re- 
turn at night. The only dark colored cattle we 
saw that day was a large herd of Indian buffalo. 
Our journey was a very pleasant one indeed, land- 
scape on the left enchanting, on the right the blue 
waters of the sea. Just before the sun kissed us 
good night, the train entered a broad level plain 
which I recognized as the old Campagna of his- 
tory, crossed by the great aqueduct, built to con- 
duct water from the Sabine hills, twenty-nine 
miles distant, to the great metropolis of the 
Roman Empire. 

Gleaming in the light of the setting sun a 
dazzling cross, high in the air, appeared sur- 
mounting the dome of St. Peter's Church. The 
train circled gracefully to the left, passed through 
a mighty wall and stopped; and lo, we were in 
Rome. Went to a good hotel, ate supper, and 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 47 

Rev. Griffith and myself took a stroll. He was 
sure he could find the way back; but I was not so 
perfectly clear, as the streets were narrow and 
crooked. We presently found ourselves by the 
celebrated River Tiber. It is this stream which 
figures very prominently with the early history 
of Rome. It is said that a vestal virgin gave 
birth to a pair of twin sons and named them 
Romulus and Remus, and to hide her crime, as 
considered by Roman law, threw them into the 
river. A mother wolf found and carried them to 
her den and nursed them. They were soon 
found and rescued by a man named Henry Cotter, 
who reared and educated them, and Romulus be- 
came the founder of Rome. The outside world 
have some doubts regarding the accuracy of this 
statement, but certain it is the Romans believe it 
thoroughly, for in every conspicuous place or 
public square the picture or statue of a wolf 
beautifully painted on canvas, or sculptured in 
marble, or fashioned in bronze, suckling the chil- 
dren, can be seen. A large gray wolf is kept in 
a cage in a conspicuous place to show how deep 
is the veneration of the people for his species or 
kind. Turning away from this fine river we found 
we were lost and could not find our way back to 
the hotel; so I found a young man who could 



48 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

speak English, who politely offered to show us 
the way to the hotel. 

On our way he said he would be glad to an- 
swer any questions we desired to ask; so I told 
him of what seemed to be a kind of fruit hanging 
by a store in festoons of green leaves and owing 
to the darkness I failed to make out what it was 
and would be glad to know. He said they were 
cocoanuts or bananas. I said no, for I knew them 
anywhere; so the matter dropped, but the next 
morning I took another look at the fruit and 
found it to be common hog bladders, filled with 
lard. I was very careful after that as to what 
inquiries I made regarding tropical fruit. 

Rome, with its wonderful history of lights and 
shadows, of triumphs and defeat, is probably not 
equaled by any other city in the world. Situated 
on seven hills forming the outline the city mostly 
lies in a beautiful basin or broad valley. There 
are two parts of the city, called ancient and mod- 
ern. Of course the magnificent ruins, grand in 
their decay, are in the ancient part, which carries 
the mind back to the time before Christ was 
born, when the Roman wall was built around the 
city as a protection and defense. The wall is 
moss grown, and also many stone houses, reveal- 
ing the difference of one part from the other. 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 49 

May 9th, 1886. The stillness of the Sabbath 
morning was broken by the clanging of bells, call- 
ing the people to the places of divine worship. 
The streets were lined with eager throngs to take 
their places in the houses of prayer. We went 
to Saint Peter's, the largest and finest church in 
the world, located close by the Vatican, the home 
and palace of the Pope. The church covers two 
acres of ground, built of gray stone, surmounted 
by a colossal dome claimed to be the largest 
in existence. Climbing twenty stone steps one 
reaches the vestibule, and entering it by a com- 
mon door, a large leather curtain hangs in front 
of you with a place to insert the hand to pull it 
open and you are inside. The curtain is intended 
to prevent all noise by slamming of doors and the 
like. A marble floor stretches away six hundred 
feet to the end of the great nave. A large 
rostrum is there on which sits a great chair, made 
apparently of gold, to represent the authority of 
Saint Peter and his influence. On the left is a 
life-size statue in bronze of St. Peter holding a 
large golden key in his hand, and on the right the 
same of St. Paul, with a sword in his hand, mean- 
ing to me, the Roman Catholic Church opens the 
door and commands all men to enter into it. 
The room in its widest place under the dome is 



50 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

four hundred and seventeen feet wide. An altar 
in the center, of dazzling beauty, ninety-five feet 
high, supported by four bronze colored twisted 
marble columns, covered by a rich canopy of pur- 
ple and gold cloth. Candles are kept burning on 
the altar all of the time. It is said the ashes 
of Saint Peter lie entombed beneath. Standing 
under the dome there are four hundred feet of 
air between you and the top of it. The most 
beautiful pictures of men and Bible characters 
were painted by the old masters lying on their 
backs, on a scaffold suspended four hundred feet 
from the floor, all over the dome, revealing the 
risk they run in order to accomplish their designs 
by which they made their names immortal. One 
astonishing effect to me was the delicate, accurate 
calculation to make the pictures of men appear 
of life size as viewed from the floor, when as 
seen in the dome were ten or fifteen times larger. 
The auditorium is large enough to seat one hun- 
dred thousand people, but there are no seats or 
chairs in it. The vast throng I saw moved from 
one point to another, viewing the objects of in- 
terest everywhere to be seen, for the walls are 
covered with some of the finest, richest pictures 
ever painted, and niches all around were filled 
with the choicest statuary. In short, this great 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 51 

church is one of the finest art galleries of Europe. 
On either side of this great room are doors lead- 
ing into eighteen chapels, where as many congre- 
gations meet for worship, as each has an altar 
and a priest. The gorgeously dressed priests 
presented a marked contrast to the common 
people, who in their rags and poverty kneel at 
the same altar. In the room I entered was a 
choir in the orchestra of fifty male voices, led 
by a gray haired priest. Singing was beautiful. 
In the center of the church is a bronze figure of 
Saint Peter sitting in a large chair close to the 
wall elevated on a platform with the right foot 
on a pedestal; an iron fence about three rods 
long was in front, and the people fell into line 
at the farther end, both men and women, and 
marched by in single file and kissed the great toe 
of St. Peter, and then rubbed their foreheads 
on it. The toe was worn smooth and bright by 
such contact. I looked on in astonishment, feel- 
ing that kind of worship would never satisfy my 
soul. Let me kneel to a Christ who hears and 
answers prayer. Not far from St. Peter as just 
described was a small house resembling a sentry 
box of a soldier on a wall; there was a small open 
window in it, and a priest inside holding a long 
bamboo rod in his hand reached out, and with 



52 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

the other end touched the head of a man or 
woman, kneeling, as for his blessing; and this he 
did to quite a number in a semicircle, and when this 
was done all arose and departed, seemingly satis- 
fied. The faithful Catholic of high or low degree, 
rich or poor, no matter how many were present 
who were not of his or her belief, crossed them- 
selves, or made the sign of the cross and knelt be- 
fore the image of patron saints wholly unconscious 
of the fact that they were the observed of all 
observers. There are days when visitors are 
allowed to ascend to the dome and only on these 
is the privilege granted. The day before I 
wished to depart from the city I asked a guide 
or attendant to allow our party to go to the 
dome. He shook his head sternly and said: 
u No, this is not the day." My friends said: 
"Never mind, let it go." I said: "No, I am 
going up there now," and taking some silver in 
my open hand shook it before the eyes of the 
guide and said: "Dome." The corners of his 
mouth nearly reached his ears in a broad grin, 
as he asked: "How many." I pointed them out 
and at once he led the way. A long, and some of 
the way very steep and hard climb, brought us 
where the paintings were, previously described; 
and then on still higher, where we could step out 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 53 

onto a balcony, and from this position we had a 
birds'-eye view of the whole city and surrounding 
country, the old Roman wall, the River Tiber 
winding its way to the sea, the King's palace, and 
the great college buildings, as also the Vatican, 
with its beautiful gardens and fine walks and 
driveways. Men on the ground appeared to be 
pigmies, they looked to be so very small. From 
this last landing place a large room, a long steep 
iron ladder led to the highest point above the 
dome into a brass bulb nearly six feet long and 
three wide in the center, opened at the bottom, 
called the lantern. I climbed to, and entered it, 
and was satisfied, for no man could get any higher 
over St. Peter's dome. As long as my memory 
lasts I will never forget my experiences in St. 
Peter's Church. It has been built about five 
hundred years. The facade or yard in front of 
this church is claimed to be the most beautiful in 
the whole world. It is lined on either side by a 
colonnade one-quarter of a mile long, closing in at 
the church in a half semicircle. In each row there 
are about four hundred pure white marble col- 
umns, four abreast, supporting a roof, and at 
the peak are sculptured figures representing men 
of full size standing erect, and also angels. The 
columns are about fifteen inches in diameter and 



54 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

fifteen feet high. The ground is covered with 
marble slabs nicely fitted so no weeds or grass can 
grow, and nice smooth walks are laid with artistic 
skill, while flower beds are kept in perfect order, 
lending beauty and fragrance to the enchanting 
scene. Fountains send up streams of water 
twenty feet in the air which break into myriads of 
crystals as the rays of the sun shine through 
them. A tall Egyptian monument stands in the 
middle of the yard to complete one of the most 
lovely spots on earth. 

After looking upon such perfection of human 
skill and achievement as this fagade it is hard to 
believe that on this very ground the bloody Em- 
peror Nero caused Christian martyrs to be 
dressed in pitch shirts and in dark nights had 
their clothing set on fire to illumine the awful 
scene and also dressed others in skins of wild 
beasts, and had them worried to death by dogs 
to make sport for him and his great lords and 
ladies, and yet it is fearfully true. The Vatican 
is close by, the magnificent home of the Pope 
and a museum of art and treasures hardly con- 
ceivable. The sculptures and paintings are im- 
mense, of every description from the ordinary 
and grotesque to the sublime, by the old masters 
and students. Raphael has many fine paintings 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 55 

there, some of his very best. "The Last Judg- 
ment," by Michael Angelo, is a wonderful paint- 
ing, covering the whole of one end of 
a church, the Sistine Chapel. All of the 
best paintings have sacred subjects. The li- 
brary contains many books and manuscripts of 
great value. Costly vases and mirrors stand on 
pedestals in the center of the room, which were 
presented to the Popes by nobles and kings of 
other countries. They were of porphyry, ala- 
baster and variegated marble. One grows be- 
wildered at the statuary alone. If it could be 
placed in a line as men and women sit or stand, 
it would be two miles and one-half long. Every- 
thing in the Vatican is on a magnificent scale, and 
what the Pope has is of the richest and best 
quality. I saw his golden chariot, with gold tips 
on hubs, whiffletrees, end of tongue and neckyoke. 
Inside was lined with gilt and purple cloth. Four 
beautiful, perfectly matched, black horses, with 
gold mounted harness, drew the chariot when the 
Pope rode out in state. A mounted postillion 
rode along beside, and led each horse, and an 
orderly rides ahead to clear the way. The King 
and Queen do not exhibit any such pomp and 
worldly glory. I could not refrain from draw- 
ing the contrast between him and the great 



56 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

Saviour of sinners, when in His triumphant en- 
try into Jerusalem, He rode a humble donkey 
without a saddle, and barefooted at that. The 
time will come when nothing but Christ-like char- 
acter will stand the final test of the judgment in 
the last great day. 

May ioth, 1886. We hired a competent guide, 
well posted and a fine linguist, for two dollars a 
day and visited among the ruins. We saw first, 
Tragan's Forum, a vast amphitheater, built by 
Tragan, the fourteenth Emperor of Rome, a 
level piece of ground, covering an acre or more 
studded thickly with broken columns of red 
granite ranging from one to six feet in diameter. 
One piece was twenty-seven feet long and six 
feet through. All were very nicely polished. 
In the court stands a monument of finely sculp- 
tured design two hundred feet high, covered with 
bas-relief of such exquisite workmanship and 
design that artists from all parts of the world 
come there to study them as models. This 
Forum was built 1700 years ago. It is claimed 
that Tragan inaugurated the great persecution of 
the Christians in Rome. He appointed his 
nephew, the younger Pliny, to be Governor of 
an Eastern Province of Bythinia. Pliny writes 
to his Uncle Tragan that there are a peculiar 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 57 

people in his Province very different from the rest 
of his subjects, and wishes to know how to deal 
with them. Says they have banded themselves 
together by a solemn vow to live a pure and 
chaste life, will not lie or steal, and also they arise 
a great while before day and meet together and 
sing, and pray to Christ as a God, and as they 
persist in this course, must he deal with it as stub- 
bornness, or overlook it as a peculiarity. As I 
looked on these silent old ruins, I reflected on the 
situation and thought how little the young man 
realized that he was dealing with a principle 
destined to conquer the Roman Empire and rule 
the world. It was the stone Daniel saw cut out 
of the mountain without hands, which should fill 
the whole earth. Daniel ii, 45. This arena or 
forum is twenty-five feet below the present street 
or surface. I noticed twenty-five or thirty cats 
assembled here, which were fed and cared for 
by the humane of the city. Much of the ma- 
terial of this Forum was used to build two fine 
churches close by. We next visited the old 
Coliseum, the most wonderful structure of its 
kind in the world. It was built to commemorate 
the destruction of the city of Jerusalem by the 
Roman army under Titus, the great Roman gen- 
eral. Not less than eleven hundred thousand 



5 8 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

people were killed or taken captive at that time. 
The building was begun, I was told, in the year 
of our Lord 72, and finished and dedicated in 80. 
The building covers five acres of ground and is 
round. The wall was built of stone brought 
from the Sabine Mountains twenty-nine miles 
away, north, and stands 165 feet high. The 
arena is elliptical, or the shape of an egg. It 
covers an acre and one-half, and is twenty-five 
feet deep, and walled up to the surface or floor. 
In the wall of the arena are dens for three thou- 
sand wild beasts. Rings are held by iron staples 
fixed in the wall where they were chained in sight 
of their victims until all of their native ferocity 
was aroused and then let loose to devour the 
Christian martyrs, whose only crime was a pure 
and noble life. The floor is paved with small 
bricks set on edge in cement. At regular inter- 
vals, stones with six inch holes in them were in- 
serted in the floor, so trees could be set in to 
make an artificial forest, so when the martyrs 
would flit from tree to tree, trying to escape from 
a lion or tiger, it would furnish sport for the 
spectators. "But the blood of the martyrs was 
the seed of the church." Great gladiatorial con- 
tests were held here, men fighting with men, or 
a beast against a man. When one man con- 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 59 

quered another he would put one foot on his 
neck, raise aloft a dagger, then look up to the 
crowd to see what their pleasure was; and if 
they put their hands side by side with palms up, 
that meant spare his life; but if the palms were 
down, that said drive the dagger into his heart, 
which he did. The seating capacity was from 
eighty to one hundred thousand people. There 
were four galleries or tiers of seats, one over the 
other, reaching to the top. Every person could 
see distinctly all that transpired in the arena. 
The passageways were all marked, also seats; 
so it was easy to find any place desired. Water 
could be let into the arena, so sham naval bat- 
tles could be fought, and then drawn off. For 
two hundred years, a part of the Coliseum was 
used as a stone quarry for building purposes in 
the city; but finally the Government of Italy, 
about seventy years ago, discovered the fact that 
one of the most wonderful ruins in the Empire 
should be preserved; and accordingly to keep the 
contour complete, built the first story of what had 
been destroyed, with modern masonry. For ages 
the arena had been used as a dumping place for 
the debris of the city. Only about one-third of it 
was clear when I saw it. The casual observer 
would say it is a grand old ruin, and he would 



60 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

be telling the truth; but the thoughtful man can 
discover a meaning in it, as high as Heaven, and 
lasting as Eternity. 

When the Disciples called attention to the great 
stones in the temple Jesus Christ said: "See ye 
these great buildings, verily I say unto you not 
one stone shall be left on another that shall not 
be thrown down." Mark xiii, 2. In about 
forty years this prediction was fulfilled to the 
very letter, and thousands of heathen hands had 
united to rear a monument to remain through 
coming ages proclaiming the truth that His word 
can not fail. The Coliseum, though built for a 
different purpose, was a sure prophecy that the 
nation that supposed it had conquered the citadel 
of religion, Jerusalem, would itself soon come un- 
der the folds of the Banner of the Cross, which it 
did by an edict of Constantine in the third cen- 
tury that the religion of Jesus Christ should be the 
religion of the Roman Empire, and it was accom- 
plished. The preaching of the Gospel, by Paul and 
others, changed the blood-thirsty dispositions of the 
people so completely that the Coliseum was al- 
lowed to become a ruin, and since then three hun- 
dred and sixty-eight churches, some of them the 
most costly and beautiful in the world, have been 
built and maintained in Rome. Close by the 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 61 

Coliseum is a great foundation laid for a monu- 
ment to Emperor Nero, but was never built. 
The Arch of Triumph leading to the Appian 
Way, a National Road, outside the city wall, has 
some very fine sculptured work on it of Greek 
and Roman art, furnishing a marked contrast be- 
tween the two, Greek much the best, though two 
hundred years the oldest. The Arch of Titus, 
spanning the Via Sacra or sacred road, just at 
the entrance to the Roman Forum, is built of 
pure white marble, beautifully sculptured, with 
the statues of generals on horseback and soldiers 
marching, to represent the triumphant return of 
the Roman army from the conquest of despoiling 
the city of Jerusalem. On it also appears in bold 
relief the Ark of the Covenant, given by God to 
Moses, for the children of Israel, as a sign of 
His presence and guiding Providence. The ruins 
of the Forum are wonderful. Large Greek and 
Corinthian columns stand where they did grand 
service when the structure was in its glory. Just 
at the right of the rostrum is the place where the 
body of Julius Caesar, after his assassination by 
Brutus, was cremated. Five rods away was a 
butcher's stall and one Virginius, a valiant sol- 
dier, was summoned from the army because 
through intrigue of unprincipled men his lovely 



62 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

daughter Virginia had fallen into their power or 
control, and walking with her by the block he 
seized a sharp knife and plunged it into her heart, 
saying: "Thus only can I keep thee pure." The 
great orators of ancient Rome here held the lis- 
tening thousands spellbound as they presented 
their views concerning the best methods to secure 
the highest interests of church and state. The 
Temple of the Vestal Virgins on the right side 
of the Forum is marked by a cluster of columns 
standing like sentinels where they have been for 
ages, and just across the way is the Temple of 
Peace, erected in memory of Constantine. There 
are but few spots on earth where so much of 
historical interest centers as the Roman Forum. 
Palatine Hill is near, overlooking all of the 
ruins just described, and on it is the palace of 
the Caesars, a remarkable confusion of marble 
buildings, and columns, of endless variety and 
richness. The palace proper was divided into 
four apartments, Spring, Summer, Autumn and 
Winter, in order to secure the greatest benefits of 
the seasons. In one large room used as a ban- 
queting hall, by Tiberius Caesar, at the time of 
the crucifixion of Christ frescoed pictures, on the 
wall, of great beauty, portraying scenes of fes- 
tivity, are remarkably fresh and beautiful. A 






REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 63 

three-inch lead pipe brought water from the 
aqueduct to supply this room, and the palace. 
Close to this home of the Kings, on the other side 
of the hill, for the palace faced the Forum, is the 
Stadium, or Circus Maximus. This is a remark- 
able enclosure in a valley entered through a mar- 
ble archway, with terraced sides, on which were 
seats to accommodate 100,000 spectators. A 
broad, smooth race track one-half mile long and 
the same distance back on the other side, with a 
turn at the further end wide enough for safety for 
running horses, furnished facilities for all kinds 
of athletic sports, and tests of strength, speed and 
endurance. Foot races were very popular. The 
starting point was also the goal, the victor being 
crowned with a laurel wreath by the judges. 
Here were the mighty chariot races run, with four- 
horse teams abreast; the very best and fleetest of 
the Empire were carefully trained for these con- 
tests. The chariot had two small wheels and a 
low body, in which the driver stood and urged 
his steeds to their utmost speed. The interest 
was intense and the great crowd became nearly 
wild with enthusiasm and joy as the panting vic- 
tors reached the goal. 

Lew Wallace, in his book, "Ben Hur," de- 
scribes these races and it was on this track his 



64 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

races were said to have been run. The keen eyes 
of the Apostle Paul discovered a wonderful illus- 
tration of the struggle and victory of a Christian 
man or woman as a result of witnessing such a 
scene, and said: "Seeing we are compassed about 
with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside 
every weight and the sin which doth so easily be- 
set us, and let us run with patience the race set 
before us." Hebrews xii, i. While 100,000 
people watched the Olympian racers, the whole 
civilized world is observing the faithful Chris- 
tian. The church of the Scala Sancta, or Sacred 
Stairs, is one of uncommon interest. It is claimed 
that the steps up which the Saviour walked in the 
Judgment Hall of Pilate, in Jerusalem, have been 
brought and placed in this building. The steps 
are of white marble slabs two inches thick, and 
of common width; but are covered with plank to 
prevent them from being worn out by constant 
use. They are placed in the main stairway lead- 
ing from the hall, as one enters from the street, 
to the first floor above. On the landing is a full 
size wax figure of the Saviour, with a crown of 
thorns on His head. The worshipers kneel at 
the bottom, and begin to climb the stairs on their 
knees, and at each step cross themselves and offer 
a short prayer, then the next, until the top is 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 6s 

reached, then they stand erect, then bend on one 
knee, make again the sign of the cross, turn to the 
right, walk down another stairway and begin 
again, believing there is special virtue in the exer- 
cise. One rich old man had been doing this, I 
was told, eighteen years. I saw eighteen people, 
young and old, of both sexes, thus striving to 
secure salvation for their souls. But I knew of 
a simpler and better way, "Ask and it shall be 
given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it 
shall be opened unto you." Luke xi, 9. Martin 
Luther, while on a visit from Germany, begun 
the ascent of the Stairs as others did, but when 
part way up, jumped to his feet, exclaiming, "The 
just shall live by his faith." From that day un- 
til the close of his glorious life, God used him as 
a thunderbolt to break up the stagnation of the 
Catholic Church and seemingly dead moral forces 
of Europe, resulting in the great reformation of 
the fifteenth century, when Protestantism was 
born and the supremacy of the Bible acknowl- 
edged; and the right of every man to read and 
judge for himself was established. The house 
was shown us in the center of Old Rome, where 
Paul lived two whole years, it is said, and re- 
ceived all who came unto him and taught them 
the blessed lessons concerning the Gospel of 



66 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

Christ. Considering the moss-grown appear- 
ance of the house, built of stone, I had no reason 
to doubt the claim. The rooms were up stairs 
in a two-story building, but the door between the 
two was bricked up. The house is held in great 
veneration in the city. The prison also, where 
he was kept for a long time, was shown us, and 
is close by the Roman Forum. The prison is a 
large basement room well lighted, with concrete 
floor, also a well of good clear water for his com- 
fort was in one corner of the room. A stone 
table close to the wall three feet high and three 
feet long and two and one-half wide was used by 
him when he wrote many of his letters and 
Epistles, I was told. At one end of the table 
is a solid stone post eight square and six inches 
in diameter, reaching a little above the table, 
with an iron staple in it holding a ring to which 
Paul was chained. I could not help thinking of 
the utter foolishness of the authorities to under- 
take to bind and control such a man; for while 
they might fetter his body and limbs with chains, 
his lofty spirit could soar beyond the stars and 
revel in the glories to them unseen. While he 
was kept in chains as a prisoner, he was writing 
Gospel messages that would secure freedom to 
the whole world. 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 67 

Three miles from the city, to the right of the 
Appian way or road, is the place where Paul was 
beheaded, and on the spot a beautiful church was 
erected and in perfect order is maintained. The 
main structure is supported by eighty columns, 
forty feet long, of gray granite and of great 
beauty, weighing seventy tons each. The altar 
beneath which Paul is said to be buried is a mar- 
vel of beauty, and is sixty-five feet high and 
stands upon four cream-colored alabaster col- 
umns. The front entrance has a similar column 
on each side of the door. Above the inside row 
of columns around the great nave and above the 
frieze work is a row of pictures of the Popes 
since the time of Saint Peter, numbering two hun- 
dred and sixty-two. Front view is wonderful in 
design and fine in execution. Over the entrance 
are three pictures, Christ in the center on a rock, 
Peter on his right holding two keys in his hand, 
and Paul on the left holding a sword. Under 
this is a lamb in the center; on the right are 
twelve sheep and Bethlehem, representing twelve 
Apostles. On the left twelve sheep and Jeru- 
salem. Under this was Christ and four of the 
Prophets, all in mosaics. 

An attendant told me if anyone but a priest 
touched even a step to the altar he would drop 



68 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

dead, and of course I was skeptical; and when he 
was not looking, put my foot on the dangerous 
place and felt no harm. 

We then returned to the Appian Way over 
which Paul came into Rome in chains, and drove 
in a fine carriage seven miles out. Many graves 
of great men lie along this road. Saw the tombs 
of Seneca, Schiller and Keats, with many others. 
On our return we went into the Catacombs under 
the city, a vast hiding place for both the living 
and dead. In the time of great persecution of 
the early Christians they dug great tunnels be- 
neath the surface of miles in length in regular 
streets, most of them narrow, with rows of al- 
coves on either side as a receptacle of the dead. 
At regular intervals quite a good sized chapel 
was built, beautifully frescoed, where they met to 
worship free from molestation. Some of the 
best and most beautiful pictures of Christ are 
found on the walls of these chapels, and are 
used by artists as models, for they are considered 
the most authentic and accurate of any in exist- 
ence. Of course there are other pictures of great 
value and many of them; so these underground 
churches are very beautiful. 

There is great danger of being lost in the Cata- 
combs, and it is not safe to enter into them at 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 69 

all without a competent guide. I was deeply im- 
pressed by what I saw; and realized that the 
faith of the Christian sustains him amidst the 
fiercest persecutions and sufferings, for he glories 
in the Cross of Christ. One lovely woman with 
a babe in her arms being asked if she would re- 
nounce her allegiance to the Christian religion 
and thus secure her freedom from punishment, 
replied: "I did not leave my native country and 
come to Italy to deny my Lord Jesus Christ," 
and with this heroic answer she faced her perse- 
cutors who with cruel weapons took the life of 
mother and child while their spirits went home 
to their God to wear the crown of martyrs. We 
drove to the Jewish quarter of the city; the streets 
were full of men and women. Many were sitting 
down on benches or chairs, and carrying on their 
line of business as tradesmen of every description. 
Piles of ready made clothing and almost every- 
thing in the dry goods line were offered for sale. 
As soon as the people saw our carriage, they arose 
and doffed their hats courteously until we were 
beyond their places of business. The Appian 
Way is the most wonderful road ever built in 
ancient times. It reaches from Rome to Brin- 
disi, Italy, a distance of three hundred and sixty 
miles. In constructing the road hills were dug 



7 o AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

down and valleys well filled to make it compara- 
tively level. The soil was removed three feet 
in depth, the trench filled with concrete, which 
became very hard, and finally finished with 
smooth flat stones, closely fitted, and fastened 
with cement. This road was made three hun- 
dred years before Christ, and was in good con- 
dition when I saw it. 

The only Pagan Temple in Rome now is the 
Pantheon, Church of all Gods, a very large, 
round structure, not as high as St. Peter's, but 
the largest unsupported dome, or one resting on 
the wall, known. The wall, built of stone, is 
twenty-five feet thick. The door is sixteen inches 
thick, made of iron. The porch or vestibule is 
supported by eight granite columns six feet in 
diameter and forty long. Many celebrated men 
have been buried in a great vault or mausoleum 
here — Raphael, the great painter, Victor Im- 
manuel, and others. We went to the Church of 
the Franciscan Monks, and saw some very fine 
paintings. Descended to the burial place of the 
dead, where earth from Jerusalem has been 
placed. The dead are allowed to rest in the con- 
secrated grave for ten years; then the bones are 
taken out and placed in rows on shelves, or woven 
into lamps or bouquets. The skulls are covered 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 71 

with fancy needlework or tapestry. In the midst 
of these reminders of death is a nice tasty chapel, 
where the monks worship. There is no ac- 
counting for tastes. There are more monu- 
ments of every description on all public squares 
and in front of churches and public buildings than 
in any other city I ever saw. While in a very 
fine park I heard a great shout ring out, "The 
King is coming," and presently a fine pair of bay 
horses drawing a tasty carriage with King Hum- 
bert in it, passed. He had his silk high crowned 
hat in his hand, and was smiling and bowing to 
the people on the right and left. He was a very 
pleasant appearing man. It was said he made a 
good King. Little did I think then that in a few 
years he would be shot and killed by a miserable 
assassin, which was sadly true. Soon after he 
passed, the Queen Marguerite appeared in a 
similar carriage to the King's. Of course both 
had a driver and attendants. She was a regular 
blonde and fine looking, and so far as I noticed, 
the only one I saw in Rome. 

Most people in America have the impression 
that the Italians are dark skinned and swarthy, 
but the educated better class are as white and 
fair skinned as Americans or the English. A 
large building called the Diocesean Baths of 



72 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

ancient times, has been changed into a lovely 
church, where I saw a very large pipe organ and 
heard some fine music. 

May 13th. Bade good-bye to Rome and went 
to Naples. This old picturesque city overlooks 
the very fine harbor of Naples, where Paul landed 
on his way to Rome nearly two hundred miles 
away. The bay is a beautiful body of water sug- 
gestive of the mighty Mediterranean sea, of 
which it is a part. The city has many fine 
public buildings, cathedrals and churches; also 
the palace of the King is here, but not used 
as much as those of Turin or Rome. A large 
museum of ancient curiosities, many of them 
from Pompeii, can be seen, all reminding one 
of the dead past, and of a calamity which 
shocked the world when a whole city was buried 
under the ashes and lava from Mount Vesuvius, 
five miles distant, so completely that it was hidden 
seventeen hundred years, and forgotten; and was 
discovered by a man digging a well to secure 
water for his sheep pasturing there, and while 
thus engaged uncovered a brick house in good 
state of preservation. Also in Naples a splendid 
art gallery is maintained, consisting of the best 
paintings and sculptured work by the old masters. 
Art students from all parts of the world come 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 73 

and study these exhibits as models. Virgil is 
buried here in a fine cemetery. Naples is cele- 
brated for the beauty of its situation, the bay on 
one side and Mount Vesuvius, seven miles away, 
with a great volume of smoke ascending from the 
volcano at the top of the mountain three miles 
high, in the day time, and a flame of fire by night, 
so awful and brilliant as to illumine the darkness 
for five miles away, on the other side; and still 
to the north a lofty mountain chain of the Alps 
covered with perpetual snow, to lend awful 
grandeur to the scene. Someone not inaptly has 
said: "See Naples and die." 

The people of Naples seem to represent two 
extremes, the highly prosperous and refined, and 
the very poor, ignorant and wretched. Beggars 
are met at nearly every turn, and their numbers 
and appearance tell the sad story that something 
is wrong ; and it is no wonder to me that so many 
emigrate to America, the land of the free, where 
every man has a chance to better his condition 
and generally does it. When they come to this 
country they invariably take steerage passage, but 
when they return to the fatherland take either 
first or second passage, costing very much more. 
It has been truly and justly said that the United 
States of America is an asylum for all the op- 



74 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

pressed of the world. At 2 P. m. started for 
Pompeii, about seven miles away, along the bay. 
On our arrival we went to the only hotel there, a 
substantial stone building, and well kept by a lady 
and her son. They told us some soldiers would 
furnish us a guide, which they did readily. Our 
first move was to pass through a high, broad 
archway, down a steep incline for ten or fifteen 
rods to a street leading abruptly to the right, 
nicely paved with small cobble stones leading up 
a sharp rise of ground for some distance, to a 
broad tableland on which the city had been built. 
The first ruin we came to was a fine brick house 
one story high; no roof, but the walls were per- 
fectly preserved, with all rooms intact. What 
was true of this house was true with them all, 
excepting occasionally one with two stories and 
some with tile roof on them. Excavation had 
been in progress one hundred and fifty years ; but 
only one-third of the city was uncovered. It was 
a terrible sight to me as I gazed awe-stricken at 
one part of a house and could not see the rest 
of it because twelve to twenty feet of ashes and 
cinders covered it as it had done for eighteen 
hundred years or more. How appalling the 
realization that in all of those buried houses were 
more or less human beings entombed, sleeping 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 75 

in dreamless slumber, to be only awakened by the 
voice of God in the great Resurrection Day. 
The streets were regularly laid out and were 
straight but rather narrow, but so nicely has the 
cleaning been done as far as they have gone with 
it that one can see exactly how they were made 
and looked before the awful calamity destroyed 
the city. The streets were paved with what ap- 
peared to be blocks of gray square stones four 
or six inches thick nicely fitted in, but I was told 
it was tufa or lava from the volcano. Side- 
walks were about two and one-half feet wide, and 
raised nearly a foot from the road bed, and at 
the crossing of the street does not extend across, 
but flat stones or tufa are placed three feet apart 
so the wheels of wagons can pass between them, 
and those who walk keep the same level. Houses 
are built close to the walk, mostly of stone, some 
of brick. Teams never meet, as they go on one 
street and return on another. Ruins of public 
temples, elaborate and grand, with altars and 
idols of heathen worship in a good state of 
preservation are readily seen. Theaters of vast 
dimensions and tasty design show how the people 
sought recreation and pleasure in such entertain- 
ments as were offered. I saw a wine house 
where a great row of earthen jugs were seemingly 



7 6 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

left just as used, each one holding forty gallons 
or more. A bakery with ovens full of loaves of 
bread, with kneading troughs and all conveniences 
for carrying on the business, seemed to have been 
left without a moment's warning. A large public 
bathroom appeared to be complete with concrete 
large basins or vats for cold or warm water; 
stone steps led down into them. Places or rooms 
for private use in preparing for the bath seemed 
to have just been abandoned, and racks for towels 
had been unused all of those ages. 

Art was not neglected, for in some houses, fres- 
coed paintings are on the walls astonishingly clear 
and beautiful. A question has arisen as to the 
probability of the Christian religion having been 
taught before the city was destroyed; and many 
believe it was not, but there had been time for it, 
as the calamity occurred in the year 69 after 
Christ. A lovely picture painted on the wall 
made it clear to me that it had. The three 
graces, Faith, Hope and Charity, are portrayed 
in a striking manner. Three figures of women 
representing those graces with such perfect ex- 
pressions on their faces, bringing out each grace 
so completely that no room for doubt in my mind 
was left. I have never seen anything of modern 
art in any way equal to it. The museum, situated 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 77 

near the entrance to the city, is wonderful. Men, 
women and children, horses, sheep and hens, were 
just as found in the ruins; also human hair and 
teeth. No city I have ever visited appealed to 
my deepest sympathies as did this great mausoleum 
of the silent past. The Stadium is a large and 
fine enclosure, built of great stones, and in such 
fine condition that I could scarcely believe that 
it had not been used for eighteen hundred years. 
Close by was a field of rye just ripening, which 
stood eight feet high. We remained at the hotel 
all night and early the next morning were pro- 
vided with horses and a guide to go to Mount 
Vesuvius to see the volcano, five miles distant. 
As I went to mount my horse a young man held 
the stirrup, and when we started on a gallop he 
ran beside the horse. Finally the guide rode up 
and said: "You did not pay him for holding the 
stirrup" ; so I threw a little change on the ground 
for him and thus dismissed him. We soon be- 
gun to climb the mountain and our way led 
through lovely grape vineyards and fine peach 
orchards and other fruits, besides garden produc- 
tions of many varieties, all growing thriftily. 
The soil was disintegrated lava, and appeared 
much like prairie soil in Illinois and the Western 
States. When within one and one-half miles of 



78 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

the top of the mountain we left the horses and 
proceeded on foot. Great ridges of lava had 
run down the mountain side like big furrows of a 
giant plow and cooled, leaving the surface very 
broken and barren of all vegetation. Most of 
the way we had to follow a very hard, steep trail; 
sometimes almost creeping on hands and knees. 
As I was lighter of foot than the rest of the 
party I went ahead and reached the summit or 
shoulder of the mountain first. This was a level 
piece of ground, the base of a high cone, some 
five or six hundred feet, at the top or apex was 
the crater of the volcano. A stream of red-hot 
lava some two or three feet thick, was running 
downward, and I noticed it did not run like liquid, 
but simply broke over the top and worked its way 
to regions below. The volcano was in active 
eruption and about every eight or nine minutes 
a terrible upheaval, as of escaping steam, would 
shake the mountain, while lava cinders and red- 
hot pieces of rock would fly into the air from one 
hundred and fifty to two hundred feet high. I 
saw a path leading up the side of the cone, used 
while there were no eruptions, and not realizing 
my danger I ran up the cone's side three hundred 
feet. The farther I went the worse it shook, 
and seeing steam issuing from cracks in the 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 79 

ground I held my finger in it and was promptly 
burned. I wished to take a view of the mar- 
velous scenery from that lofty height, and desir- 
ing to rest sat down, but hurriedly arose from 
that spot fully convinced that the ground was 
very much hot. The scene was sublime. Naples 
seven miles to the west, and south the waters of 
the bay gleaming in the sunlight, while the old 
ocean in majesty melted away in the distance. 
On the east and north great chains of Alpine 
peaks covered with perpetual snow towered above 
the clouds. And at our feet lay the buried cities 
Herculaneum and Pompeii. It was a scene so 
impressive I can never forget it, because to me 
it was immortal. I was aroused from my reverie 
by falling stones close by and a piece of red-hot 
rock struck four feet above me and rolled down 
to my feet. So near did I come to being killed 
right there I hurried away and joined the party 
who had arrived and were viewing the stream of 
lava already described. My friends said they 
never saw so scared a man as was the guide when 
he saw where I was, as no one was allowed to 
ascend the side of the cone. We descended to 
the place where our horses were and returned to 
the hotel, feeling what others have felt. We had 
had a rare treat. We returned to Naples and 



80 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

put up at a fine hotel overlooking the bay. In 
the evening while at supper a party of ladies and 
gentlemen who had been to Egypt and Jeru- 
salem were seated opposite to where I sat and 
were talking in a jovial manner and using good 
English. One fine looking man about forty-five 
years old said: "When I get back to Michigan 
I am going to do so and so." As soon as the con- 
versation ceased, I held out my hand towards him, 
and asked: "Are you from Michigan, in the 
United States ?" He said : "Yes." "What part, 
if you please?" "From Paw Paw," he said. 
"From Van Buren County?" I said. "Yes," he 
replied. "Will you kindly tell me your name?" 
I queried. "It is B. F. Hayden," he said. I re- 
plied: "You are Bela F. Hayden, and your father 
and mother live in Almena; your brother is a 
doctor, and your sister is a teacher." As I said 
that he cried: "Yes, and who are you?" he 
eagerly asked. I said: "My name is G. P. Lin- 
derman." And he said: "You are Elder Lin- 
derman, are you?" I said: "Yes, sir, I am." 
He said: "God bless you, you baptised my brother 
and sister, and I have loved you all of these 
years," and as instinctively as one would breathe 
the air we arose and clasped hands across the 
table in a lasting friendship, while a silence per- 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 81 

vaded the room almost oppressive. This was our 
first meeting, although we had known each other 
by reputation for years. How strange that we 
should meet so far from home, and though 
strangers, yet brothers beloved. 

May 1 6th. We went to the depot to return 
to Rome, and being asked by a young lady, a 
flower girl, to buy a bouquet, I knew how per- 
sistent that class of venders was; so said: "I do 
not need any; but there is a man, pointing to Dr. 
Craig, who may be glad to buy of you." She 
laid siege to him, and judging from appearances, 
bought all she had, for he came to Griffith and I 
and divided with us, saying to me: "You rascal, 
you sent her to me." We spent the Sabbath in 
Rome, and on Monday went to Florence, the 
most beautiful city in Italy. The last thing I 
saw of Rome was the emblazoned cross on Saint 
Peter's Church. 

The day was beautiful and journey very pleas- 
ant. Some of the country was fine, and some 
very poor. Donkeys, sheep, and goats were 
plentiful. We arrived at Florence at six o'clock, 
and went to the New York Hotel, where we had 
excellent accommodations. The city was so 
clean, streets broad, and public and private build- 
ings so nice that one would almost think he was 



82 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

in an American city. The River Arno runs 
through the town, and a wide, strong bridge 
spans it, and on either side are fine stores where 
nearly everything is offered for sale in the com- 
mercial line. Some of the nicest art exhibitions 
in Europe are found here. The great cathedral, 
built of white marble, where the Reformer, 
Savonarola, preached over four hundred years 
ago, and afterwards died a martyr's death, is 
among the most interesting objects that attracts 
the attention of the traveler. 

Went to the park overlooking the city, where 
Galileo used to live. Horses working on the 
streets, have baskets, with grass or oats in them, 
fastened to their noses, so they can eat, when, and 
all they desire. Many Americans live here and 
educate their children along different lines. The 
women of this city are celebrated for their intelli- 
gence and beauty. 

May 1 8th. Left for Venice, riding all night 
and arrived in the morning. We passed over a 
low stone bridge for some distance spanning a 
marshy lagoon, and drew into a fine stone depot, 
as the brakeman called out "Venice." With suit 
cases in hand we left the car and as soon as we 
saw the crowd I called out in a clear voice : "Hotel 
Victoria"; and in a trice a young man relieved 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 83 

us of our baggage, saying in good English: 
"Come this way, gentlemen." We followed him 
to a queer looking skiff on a canal called a gon- 
dola, which called to my mind an incident in New 
York City. The board of managers of Central 
Park were discussing the feasibility, one evening, 
of purchasing some gondolas for use in the Park, 
when an Irishman arose and addressed the chair- 
man and board, saying: "I am much in favor of 
securing some gondolas for Central Park, but 
owing to the present state of the finances I move 
we buy a single pair of them, turn them into the 
Park and let nature take its course." As we 
entered this strange omnibus, I noticed a shaggy, 
bearded old man with a pole with a hook on one 
end, in his hand holding the boat. The gondolier 
shoved off into the stream and the old man jerked 
his hat off, shaking it at us while he ran up and 
down the walk in a frenzied manner, yelling 
something I failed to get. So I asked the porter 
why he did so; who smilingly said: "He held the 
boat while you got in and you did not pay him 
for it." It was a question with me whether I 
should pay a man for holding his horses drawing 
an omnibus or not, and decided I did not owe 
him anything. It was a new experience to me to 
glide swiftly along the canal, while houses on both 



84 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

sides towered far above us, the stone steps in front 
of each, reaching down to the water. The canal 
is walled up from the bottom on both sides, and 
as the water is controlled by the tide of the 
Adriatic Sea, so far as I learned there is no 
danger of overflowing. Canals take the place 
of streets all over the city and are laid out just 
the same, and between them is land, so the people 
can walk where they please as bridges cross 
the canals wherever needed. The city had about 
one hundred and sixty-five thousand people in it, 
but there was not a horse or carriage there. 

Gondolas and barges, or flat boats were used 
for passengers and freight. There is what is 
called a grand canal, resembling a narrow river, 
which nearly skirts the city; and on it steamboats 
are used. We were not there long enough to 
become accustomed to the quietude or absence 
of noise so common in all other cities. No omni- 
buses, street cars or clatter of horses' feet, or 
shouting of drivers was heard; and yet business 
appeared to be lively. Our gondola drew up to 
the steps of a fine hotel, built of stone and the 
landlord was there to shake our hands and give 
us a hearty welcome. I was surprised to see how 
rich and nice were the furnishings of that hotel. 
We were told to make ourselves perfectly at 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 85 

home, which we did, and soon sat down to a 
breakfast fit for anybody. Our first move at 
sightseeing was to go to Saint Mark's Square, 
the most celebrated of its kind in the world. On 
our way we found the streets very narrow and 
crooked, but small stores of every kind were 
plentiful. We passed through a large and high 
arch made of white marble, and stood in Saint 
Mark's Square, containing about six acres of level 
ground, with a band stand in the center. A pub- 
lic well is near by, where good water in abun- 
dance can be secured. Women from all directions 
carry the water, generally in pails or buckets sus- 
pended on a stick, with pails at both ends, or bal- 
anced on the head. They were strongly built, 
active and healthy, of medium height and of dark 
swarthy complexion. The Square is surrounded 
on three sides by splendid stores, representing all 
lines of merchandise. Jewelry displays were ex- 
ceptionally fine; and the other side is where the 
Palace of the Doges, or Judges, the prison, and 
Saint Mark's Church are situated. A wide mar- 
ble walk in front of all the stores, covered by a 
roof supported by columns of white marble about 
twelve feet apart and the same in height, fur- 
nishes a colonnade of great beauty; also protec- 
tion from excessive heat or rain. The Palace of 



86 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

the Doges is an imposing large structure, built 
of marble. On the inside the decorations of 
golden frieze work are of dazzling beauty. It is 
on one side of a canal, and the prison is on the 
other side, just opposite and are connected by two 
bridges, one called the bridge of sighs, for the 
reason that when a prisoner was called before 
the ten judges of the Inquisition in the Palace, 
as he was taken over one bridge, and after facing 
the judges he was taken back over the other, that 
meant a death sentence and naturally he would 
sigh, hence the name, Bridge of Sighs. In the 
Palace are some very fine paintings of the old 
masters. One especially attracted my attention, 
by Palmer, Jr., of "The Judgment," claimed to 
be the largest oil painting in the world, covering 
the whole side of a large room. In it his wife 
appears three times, in Hell, in Purgatory, and in 
Heaven. His father, also an artist, while visit- 
ing him, examined the picture and asked why he 
put his wife in all three of the places, replied he 
did not know just where he would go, but wished 
to find her wherever his lot might be cast. 

Other pictures represented battle scenes in a 
struggle for victory and freedom or spoil. The 
prison is a low, dark stone structure, very gloomy 
and forbidding. A condemned prisoner was 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 87 

placed in a small room with no light in it. A 
hole over the door the size of a stove pipe ad- 
mitted food, and in such a place he was obliged 
to remain until summoned to execution in a hall 
close by, where a large block of wood lies across 
the passageway of an inclined plane, down which 
the life blood ran after the knife had done its 
fearful work severing the head from the body. 
The knife was much larger and heavier than a 
butcher's cleaver, attached to an upright iron 
bar and could slide up or down at the will of the 
operator, severing the neck with one fell stroke. 
Oh, I am glad that such fearful scenes are over in 
all civilized parts of the world. Near the Pal- 
ace is a tower nearly three hundred feet high 
called the Campanile. As I climbed to the top 
of it, a feeling of insecurity possessed me, as it 
trembled as I walked up and down. It was built 
of wood. Not long afterwards it fell with a 
terrible crash, but fortunately no one was injured. 
While on the top of this tower I had a magnifi- 
cent view of the city and surrounding country on 
the North, and on the South the Bay of Venice, 
and far out on the Adriatic Sea. Also to the 
East a lovely island where botanical and zoologi- 
cal gardens are situated, embowered in roses of 
marvelous beauty and profusion. Native beech 



88 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

trees were as white as though the bark had been 
painted; one of which, a large rose bush had 
climbed, spreading all over one side on the 
branches and being in full bloom presented an 
object of surpassing beauty never to be forgotten. 
Saint Mark's Church is not as imposing in appear- 
ance from the outside as some churches in Rome, 
but enter and it has a beauty all its own. Painted 
windows of uncommon richness and beauty admit 
the light, revealing all objects with a brilliancy 
unrivaled. It is said that Saint Mark was buried 
here in a fine mausoleum. We saw many other 
fine churches, in one of which the heart of the 
great Canova is buried. In the museum we saw 
many implements of war and some of them very- 
crude and rare, dating back to periods before 
the Christian era. There were spears, bows and 
arrows, stone axes, swords, clubs, and battering 
rams. Also shields, helmets and greaves for the 
legs, and armor for both men and horses. At 
two o'clock each day a loud gong is sounded by 
machinery, and immediately the air is full of beau- 
tiful pigeons flying from all points of compass, and 
settling down in the Square near a large store on 
the north side, from a window of the second story 
of which a man throws plenty of rice and wheat to 
the pavement to feed the pigeons. There were 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 89 

thousands on thousands of them, and so tame I 
walked where they were so close together that they 
had to move to give me room for my feet, but 
closed in after me at once. They were beautiful 
birds and closely resembled the native pigeons of 
America. They are fed every day at government 
expense. They are held in great veneration by 
the people of Venice, for ages ago a carrier 
pigeon brought a letter into the city warning 
them that a great hostile army was approaching 
to capture the city, and heeding the warning were 
saved. Pigeons there are protected by law. 

We had the good fortune to meet three charm- 
ing American ladies, aunt and nieces, of Port- 
land, Maine, at the hotel, who accompanied us 
on our trips of sightseeing, in gondolas or walk- 
ing, as we preferred. In the afternoon we 
boarded a steamer and nearly encircled the city 
on the Grand Canal, closing the day's enjoyment 
with a gondola ride on the Bay of Venice which 
jets out into the Adriatic Sea. 

When out some distance from land we had an 
enchanting view of the city, illumined by electric 
lights, which left an impression never to be 
erased from our minds. While we were on this 
trip the party invited and urged me to sing a 
song, and with a desire to entertain them I com- 



9 o AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

plied with their wishes, and sung a popular song 
called the "Sea Shell." When the song was 
completed, I was greatly surprised by hand clap- 
ping and applause coming from every quarter 
through the darkness of night from all over the 
Bay, as a response from pleasure seekers in gon- 
dolas. I was silently but deeply moved with the 
thought of the tremendous power of unconscious 
influence one can exert to cheer and bless others 
as we pass along the journey of life. I knew we 
were to leave Venice next morning for Milan, 
and reluctantly returned to the hotel, feeling we 
had spent a delightful day with our new found 
friends, and bade them good-night and good-bye. 

It is seldom, if ever in my life, more real en- 
joyment of an earthly nature was experienced 
than in this city, the beautiful gem of the sea. 

May 21st, 1886. We started on our journey 
for Milan. Had a nice ride through a fine level 
country, but most of the time in sight of snow 
capped mountains of the Alps. Reached our 
destination at 3 P. M., and went to the fine hotel, 
DeMilan, one of the very best in all of its ap- 
pointments to put up at in the whole European 
trip. Milan is an ancient but very fine and hand- 
some city, with regular and broad streets, with 
many large public and private buildings, and ex- 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 91 

ceptionally nice lawns and flower beds ; also mag- 
nolia and orange trees in full bloom. The air 
was saturated with the odors of flowers. My 
first visit was to the Dome De Milan, a stu- 
pendous arch over 1000 feet each way, built of 
pure white marble; and the roof at the highest 
point, 60 to 75 feet from the floor. The whole 
structure is lighted with electricity, making a bril- 
liant spectacle, as the entire space is filled with 
stores of every kind of merchandise for sale. I 
have never seen anything like it before or since. 
The great cathedral, the Duomo, is celebrated as 
the largest and finest in the world, excepting 
Saint Peter's in Rome. It is built of clear white 
marble and has a dome 500 feet high. The out- 
side is more artistic than St. Peter's, but inside 
decorations and exhibitions of sculptured work 
and paintings not nearly as grand or fine. There 
are thirty-six mammoth columns supporting the 
dome, any one of which would furnish stone or 
marble sufficient to build a good sized dwelling 
house. The windows are very large and fine, 
decorated with costly paintings of Bible scenes 
and characters. The mellow light shining through 
the painted glass windows lends an indescribable 
enchantment to this wonderful house of worship. 
On the outside there are one hundred and thirty- 



92 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

six steeples; also six thousand statues, represent- 
ing angels and men. When one pauses to realize 
the awful undertaking of quarrying the marble 
blocks from their native beds, and the skill re- 
quired to form them into human and angelic ap- 
pearances; and the labor required, it seems 
almost incredible to believe such grand results 
possible; but there the great structure stands, a 
monument to the courage, skill and love of the 
builders, which will challenge the admiration of 
generations unborn. We climbed to the dome, 
where we had a wonderful view of the country 
for miles around. To the south a lovely river, 
like a silvery stream, stretched away and was lost 
in the distance on its certain way to the sea. On 
the North, eighty-two miles away, a grand old 
mountain of an Alpine chain, could be clearly 
seen with the naked eye. How difficult it is for 
a traveler to take in all, or one-half of what such 
a panorama means; the scenes enacted there 
in the long silent ages of the past, the fierce bat- 
tles fought by contending armies, and decisive 
victories won, resulting in the establishment or 
overthrow of a government. Then, too, the 
splendid men and women developed in that 
region, who can tell how much we of this day and 
country, owe to them for our matchless civiliza- 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 93 

tion. We took a carriage ride about the city, 
and saw the forts for defense and the barracks 
for the soldiers. Milan is one of the finest of 
cities. 

May 2 2d. Left for Switzerland, and on the 
way passed through Saint Gothard tunnel under 
a mighty mountain nine and one-half miles long, 
said to be one of the greatest feats of engineering 
skill in the world. Work was begun on both 
sides of the mountain at the same time, and so 
accurate were the calculations that the workmen 
met in the center on the same level, and the boring 
through the solid rock did not vary six inches 
when the task was completed. In passing through 
this marvelous highway of commerce we felt no 
unpleasant sensation, only that we were gliding 
swiftly under millions of tons of solid rock, and 
felt a drowsiness, like approaching slumber, which 
disappeared as we emerged into the awful gorge 
on the other side. The rugged grandeur of the 
scenery at this place beggars description. The 
scenery along this route is considered the finest in 
Switzerland. At one place three railroad tracks 
of the same road can be seen. From our car I 
saw two tracks below me in the deep gorge, for 
it required two loops to lower or elevate a train 
as it went or came. Waters, from melted snow 



94 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

on the high mountains, rush down over the rocky 
crags in fantastic beauty, and frequently leap hun- 
dreds of feet to valley below, and hurry away in 
a sparkling stream. Cozy little cottages with 
wooden sides and stone roofs nestle among the 
crags, with a little garden well tilled, some 
chickens, a pig and a very fine cow, tell the de- 
lightful story of love and happiness of the brave 
mountaineers. We noticed men and women with 
heavy packs of lumber, or boards, four or five 
feet long on their backs or heads trailing up the 
mountain sides; yet they appeared to be con- 
tented and happy. 

About three P. M. we left the car at Lucerne 
and boarded a boat on Lake Fluleen for Vitznu 
at the base of Mount Rigi. The lake is a beau- 
tiful body of water, hemmed in by surrounding 
mountains. On our left I saw a rough but fine 
monument, which had been erected on the shore, 
to perpetuate the memory of the heroic William 
Tell, who was compelled by a tyrant to shoot at 
an apple placed on the head of his little son as 
the price of his liberty. He hit the apple, but 
did not harm the boy, and after his release the 
tyrant noticed another arrow in the quiver, and 
asked why he had it, to which Tell replied, "It 
was intended for you, had I killed my boy." We 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 95 

left the boat at Vitznu, and arranged a trip to 
the summit of Mt. Rigi three miles or more, by 
a curious railroad with a third rail in the center 
furnished with cogs, and the engine having a 
corresponding wheel, could climb up very steep 
grades; and brakes were so arranged that if any 
accident occurred no harm would be done. Be- 
fore starting our handbags were carefully weighed 
and a charge was made by the pound. The train 
moved about as fast as a man would walk, so it 
consumed an hour or more in making the ascent. 
We slowly climbed along the steep ledges, looking 
down into fearfully deep gorges, crossing on 
bridges spanning awful chasms, one of which was 
over three hundred feet above a sparkling stream 
of clear water. We could look down upon the 
tops of tall trees, which seemed to be far below. 
Lake Fluleen appeared in the bright sunshine 
as a mighty mirror reflecting the great mountain 
we were climbing. The farther we receded from 
the valley the more sublime and grand the scenery, 
until far above the clouds, we were cheered by the 
sight of a fine large hotel, called the Culm, on 
the highest peak of that Alpine mountain. When 
we began our journey, flowers were smiling in 
beauty and fragrance all around us; but near the 
hotel, snow banks reminded us of eternal winter. 



96 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

One needs to see in order to fully appreciate the 
glory and grandeur of the scenery. The great 
craggy peaks of the mountain chain stretching 
away beyond valley and hill to the North, East 
and South, and on the West, Lake Lucerne, and 
beyond, lofty summits, all white with perpetual 
snow. So vast, so varied, so picturesque, the 
panorama, bewildered with ecstatic joy, I 
sought a place where, alone, I could give expres- 
sion to the gratitude I felt to the Giver of all 
good things, "who stretches out the North over 
empty place and hangeth the earth upon nothing." 
Job 26:7. 

The loud sounding of the supper gong sum- 
moned me to take my place with about three hun- 
dred guests at a long table in a very large and 
nice dining room. It seems to be the ambition 
of most sightseers to eat a meal and sleep in 
this hotel. By every plate was placed a bottle 
of wine, and the first move made by diners is to 
pour out a glassful of it and drink it. A Dutch 
lady at my right, noticing that my party of three 
did not touch our wine, gave me a vigorous punch 
with her elbow, and asked in broken English, 
"Why you no drink vine (wine) ?" I replied, "We 
are Americans, and do not need or drink it." 
She told her husband what I said, and in aston- 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 97 

ishment he told her to ask me if Americans did not 
drink wine, and why. I replied, "Some do, but 
the best of them do not touch it, for they want 
steady nerves and clear brains, and this is why 
America is leading the world." They stared at 
us, but were silent, seeming to feel we were a 
natural curiosity. So far as I could learn we 
were the only ones who did not use wine. The 
air was remarkably clear, so we could get a 
splendid view of the setting sun, as its clear rays 
kissed the lofty crags on every side. In the 
morning at four o'clock a bugle was sounded to 
awaken the guests, so they could see the sun rise. 
A dense fog is common, so it is considered a rare 
treat to find the atmosphere clear, which was the 
case, as we all hurried to a point near by. We 
did not have to wait long. When the first rays 
appeared, a hush, awe inspiring, fell upon us all, 
and with uncovered heads reverently we watched 
the fast increasing light which seemed to me to 
be the smile of God. That light, like the Gospel 
of Christ, illumined everything it touched until 
every object about us was covered with glory. 
The rim of the sun appeared while every eye was 
fixed on the expanding orb, and presently the full 
blazing world was in clear view; but it seemed to 
be a thousand times larger than I had ever seen 



9 8 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

it before. A shout of gladness went up from the 
admiring crowd, which returned to the hotel, 
feeling they had been blessed with a privilege sel- 
dom if ever enjoyed in a life time. 

But, somehow, I was so fascinated by what I 
had seen, that I lingered as if chained to the spot, 
and very soon there appeared clouds over the sun, 
which had a peculiar light shining upon them; 
and suddenly they took shape of a well laid out 
city of great beauty and magnificence, broad 
straight streets, great business blocks, and fine 
residences, such as I had never seen. Great 
churches and cathedrals with steeples, minarets, 
towers and domes, stood forth in startling gran- 
deur. I bowed my head andj worshipped as in the 
presence of the Infinite who had granted me a 
vision of the palace of the Great King. I left 
that place with impressions upon my soul, which 
can never be erased. 

At 9 A. M. we left the hotel, with its many in- 
teresting and very pleasing memories, and soon 
was at Vitznu, where we boarded a fine steamer 
for Lucerne at the mouth of the lake, from which 
the town derived its name. The River Reuss 
flows out of it, and as I passed along on the side- 
walk close by the water, was surprised to see great 
schools of fine fishes, some specimens nearly two 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 99 

feet long. They had come out of the lake close 
by. The town is old, but fine, with many splen- 
did and well managed hotels, which are greatly 
needed, for it is a favorite! resort for tourists from 
all parts of the world. We went to the Hotel 
Swan, and were nicely entertained. It being the 
Lord's day, I went to a church and was surprised 
to see a Catholic motto, which was a painting of 
a figure, an angel with a church in one hand and 
a sword in the other; which meant, join us or 
perish. But I was comforted with the thought 
that salvation is easily obtained, for it is written, 
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt 
be saved." Also, "With the heart man believeth 
unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession 
is made unto salvation"; and again, "Come unto 
me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and 
I will give you rest." "For my yoke is easy and 
my burden is light." 

Although it was the Sabbath day, the town 
seemed to be full of pleasure seekers, and all 
places of amusement were open and in full blast. 
Concert halls and merry-go-rounds were well 
patronized, while brass bands, parades and speech- 
making, was the order of the day. As I took in 
the situation I gladly turned from all the noise 
and confusion I had witnessed, and sought re- 



ioo AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

tirement in my own hired room. I thanked God 
that I could find muchj greater pleasure in reading 
my Bible and in prayer. 

May 24th. Monday A. M. found me well and 
ready to depart on a train for the city of Berne, 
where we arrived in good time and order. Like 
other Oriental cities, Berne is old, but clean and 
nice. At the hotel the clerk led us up several 
flights of stairs and was making for another when 
old Dr. Craig lost his patience and said, "If you 
are going to take us up into the attic, we will go to 
another hotel." This had the desired effect and 
we were given lovely rooms on the second floor. 
Sightseeing was rather tame, for the most ex- 
citing thing I saw was a den of genuine bears, 
kept in the north part of the town. 

May 25th. Left for Interlaken, a lively little 
town nestling in a nice valley, surrounded by high 
and craggy mountains. Splendid hotels furnish 
good accommodations for exiles from home, at a 
reasonable price. When we went in to supper 
many ladies and gentlemen were seated at the 
table, who stared at us as if they meant to recog- 
nize if they ever saw us again, which I fondly hope 
they will not. But we were cheered by lovely 
and inspiring music, and blessed with a good 
night's rest. Many fine cows are kept in the 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 101 

town, which roam at will; a large herd came 
home at night, each one wearing a great brass 
bell, emitting a different sound. We hired a man 
to take us to a point nine miles away, called 
Lauter Brunen. As we started we saw many 
women at work in a fine large garden; some of 
them wheeled the baby in a little cart or cab, 
and amused it as best she could while she planted 
or hoed. Others spread a blanket on the ground 
and put the baby on it, fastening an umbrella 
over it for protection from the sun. Our guide 
explained that the government owned the land 
and gave the use of it to the citizens who wished 
to raise vegetables to last them through the year, 
each plot in accordance with the size of the 
family. He pointed out his own wife, saying 
the women till the gardens, while the men earn 
money at something else. 

The awful beauty of the scenery on this trip 
is indescribable. Crags thousands of feet high, 
almost perpendicular at places, were pointed out, 
where wild mountain sheep or Chamois climbed 
up or down as they pleased. By the roadside, in 
a very wild gorge, stood a man blowing an Al- 
pine horn, which consisted of a tube with a mouth 
piece at one end, and a large opening at the other, 
resting on the ground. To say the least, a little 



102 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

of that music would go a great ways, for it would 
scale the high summits and return until the echo 
died away. As we approached he gave a fear- 
ful blast, and then jerked off his old hat, and 
took a collection. Lauter Brunen is only a small 
village, hemmed in on all sides by great moun- 
tains, with only a narrow valley as an outlet. I 
saw a waterfall of a small stream three thousand 
feet high, which struck only once, midway, on 
a shelving rock. The base of the Jungfrau, 
the highest peak of the Alps, is at this point. A 
deep chasm is spanned by a footbridge and start- 
ing to cross it I was startled by a loud noise, 
which was caused by water of melting snow run- 
ning down the mountain side with terrific force, 
like a cannon ball, shooting through a hole in the 
rock, of a few feet in diameter, and falling into a 
rocky bowl or basin below, and then gliding out in 
a stream of clear cold water. Just at noon the sun 
shone in on the spray from the boiling, churn- 
ing water, forming a rainbow of surpassing 
loveliness and brilliancy. The Jungfrau is thir- 
teen thousand feet high. We went to the hotel, 
kept by a young man and his wife, for din- 
ner, and were greatly surprised when a nice meal 
worthy of any place was put before us. We all, 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 103 

my friends and myself, pronounced the landlady, 
a native Swiss, to be one of the handsomest women 
we saw in Europe. We were united in saying that 
the Swiss people we saw were far superior in 
every way, in intelligence and thrift, to the Italians. 
On our return trip we told the driver of the horse 
to pass by the man with the Alpine horn on a 
stiff trot, which he did, for the blasts we had 
heard would satisfy us for a thousand years. 
Returning to the hotel at Interlaken we rested 
well, and in the morning started for Basle, where 
we arrived at noon, and finding nothing of special 
interest took a fast train for Heidelberg, Ger- 
many. For about eight hours we rode through 
a very fine country. On the right, saw what is 
known as "the black forest," a large tract of fine 
timber, owned and protected by the government 
of Germany. The German farmer is considered 
among the best in the world. No fences divide 
the farms owned by different parties; but a ditch 
or a mound, raised a little above the level, serves 
as a line; and on the latter a road is maintained, 
used to go to and from work, as the houses are 
in little villages, while the land tilled may be one 
or more miles away. Towards evening a com- 
mon sight was a cart loaded with fresh grass, 



104 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

and several men, women and children, drawn 
by a fine cow with large distended udder, lowing 
for her calf left at home. 

Everywhere thrift was apparent, and industry 
blessed a contented people. Arriving at the 
famous city, where educational advantages could 
be secured of a high order, in the University of 
Heidelberg, we went to a very fine hotel, De 
Europe, where every attention was accorded us 
we could desire. Most of the waiters are girls, 
and the one assigned to look after us tried very 
hard to talk in English, but made very hard 
work of it. I asked in her language if she spoke 
German and her under jaw dropped and she 
yelled "Yaw." I then feared she would talk me 
blind. 

The next morning we visited the renowned 
Heidelberg Castle and found it in a fail 4 state 
of preservation. It is situated on a high hill 
overlooking the city. A tower one hundred and 
twenty-six feet high affords a commanding view 
far and near. A gorge' on one side 300 feet deep 
from the top of the tower, made the approach 
by an invading army very difficult, if not impos- 
sible. The bombardment of the old Castle for 
the last four hundred years gives evidence of 
terrible struggles, of triumph and defeat. A por- 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 105 

tion of the tower which was loosened by the 
French, fell a great distance to the ground, but 
so strongly was it built that it did not break by 
the fall. We saw two gigantic casks to hold 
wine ; the largest was thirty feet long and twenty 
feet in diameter, and can hold fifty thousand gal- 
lons. It is not used now. There were old can- 
non balls of all sizes, spears and small arms, 
which had been found in the ruins. Dense woods 
have grown up around the castle, presenting a 
wild and picturesque scene. The university ac- 
commodated one thousand students at one time. 
One of the chief attractions of this fine old city 
to me, was that Martin Luther had preached the 
gospel of freedom to the priest-ridden people of 
that town, and had put in motion a great influ- 
ence which is now sweeping over the whole world, 
producing peace, good will, and gladness to all 
the nations of the earth. 

About noon we left Heidelberg for the world 
renowned city of Worms, where Martin Luther 
was summoned before the Emperor, Charles V, 
and all the crowned heads and Lords of Church 
and State of Europe, to answer to a charge of 
heresy, because he declared that the just shall live 
by faith in Jesus Christ, and were not dependent 
upon monastic vows, or superstitions of the 



106 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

Roman Catholic Church of Rome, or any other 
place. The whole power of Europe was com- 
bined against him; but he gained a signal victory 
over them all, for he stood behind the Bible, and 
defied the assaults of the forces of earth and hell. 
No man, or men, could stand before him, or meet 
his arguments in favor of the freedom of the 
human will, and the power of deliberate choice, 
in shaping and fixing the destiny of the soul, in 
that assembly of five thousand of the ablest men 
of the world. And when, in the council chamber, 
or Diet of Worms, he was pressed for an answer 
as to whether he would recede from the bold posi- 
tion he had taken, or not, he simply lifted his 
hand sublimely toward Heaven and pronounced 
the words which made him immortal, "Here I 
stand, I can do no other way, God help me. 
Amen." 

The fearful wave of earthly power had broken 
at his feet, and he stood forth as the champion of 
liberty of conscience for all time; and thus was 
Protestantism born and defended by this glorious 
old hero, who took his life in his hand to be- 
queath to generations then unborn, the pure gos- 
pel of love and eternal peace. The spot where 
the council chamber stood is now occupied by a 
church, and on the organ loft is a fine oil paint- 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 107 

ing representing the scene, "before the Diet of 
Worms." In the public square of this beautiful 
old city is a bronze figure bearing the features of 
the Wittenberg monk, erected by an apprecia- 
tive people to commemorate the inauguration and 
establishment of the great Reformation. The 
figure is twelve feet high. He stands with the 
Bible between his hands, with a determined ex- 
pression on his rugged, grand old face, as he 
looks up to Heaven as if uttering his final de- 
cision, leaving the impression upon the beholder, 
of force and greatness, which monarchs cannot 
crush, or death destroy. The greatest monu- 
ment Germany ever erected is centered in the life 
and teachings of her brainy and honored son, 
Martin Luther. 

Close by the city is quite a large tract of na- 
tive forest, adding greatly to the general beauty 
of the place. I will long remember with pleasure 
and gratitude the place where one of the mightiest 
battles for religious liberty was fought, and the vic- 
tory won. Reluctantly we said good-bye to 
Worms, and boarded a train for Mayence, on 
the River Rhine. 

As we reached the fine Hotel Belvue I asked 
the clerk if he had any mail for me, and smiling, 
said: "Got a lot"; and sure enough a large pack- 



108 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

age of long looked for letters was handed me. 
They were the first I had received since leaving 
America. They had followed me thousands of 
miles. I was greatly relieved to find my friends 
were well and prospering in my far distant home. 
The most I saw of this city was a few fine 
churches and public buildings. After a good 
night's rest we went on board of a splendid boat, 
for an all day ride down the far-famed River 
Rhine to the city of Cologne, Prussia. As we 
expected a great treat, in no sense were we dis- 
appointed, for the river and scenery were grand; 
but I saw no place of interest, superior, or equal 
to the Palisades on the Hudson of our own beloved 
land. Nevertheless, the experience was enchant- 
ing, and impressions made ineffaceable. On 
either side, much of the way, were high, craggy 
bluffs, and on some of them were moss-grown 
castles, or ruins of them, covered with ivy and 
creeping vines; and old forts, long since dis- 
mantled, serving only as a reminder of carnage 
and trouble when war did its awful work. We 
passed many towns and cities, of which Bonn and 
Bingen were the principal. Some places were ex- 
tremely beautiful, while the scenery changed all of 
the time. Grapes of the best quality and in great 
abundance, were raised; not only on the level 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 109 

spaces, but up the steep sides of high hills and in 
among the rocks, wherever sufficient soil was 
found to produce a vigorous vine. 

About one o'clock we were invited to take 
seats at the table in the spacious dining room, 
where an exceptionally good dinner was served. 
We passed some points on the river where the 
rapids are very swift and the water leaped in wild 
confusion. About four o'clock we could see in 
the dim distance spires and outlines of tall 
buildings, and at five we cast anchor in the lovely 
little harbor of Cologne. The city is nice and 
clean and has 150,000 inhabitants. We went to 
Hotel Holland and found a good home for the 
traveler. The principal attraction in this large 
city is the cathedral, one of the most imposing 
from the outside, of its kind in existence; but is 
not the equal of Saint Peter's or Saint Paul's, in 
Rome, on the inside. The spire is five hundred 
and thirty feet high. The whole building is 
simply immense and grand. In the church of 
Saint Ursula we saw eleven thousand skulls of 
Christian martyrs killed in the fourth century. 
They were arranged on shelves in regular order 
and nicely covered with tapestry of fine needle 
work, made by the Nuns. An alabaster jar was 
shown us as one of the six water pots in which 



no AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

water was changed into wine, in Cana, of Galilee. 
I asked the priest, who showed us all there was to 
see, if he was sure this was one of those six jars, 
and he said, "There is no doubt of it." Then I 
replied, "If so, some marvelous changes have 
taken place since then. Those jars held twenty- 
one gallons each, but this one will not hold two; 
also those were made of stone and this one of 
alabaster and very fine at that; and it would be 
a miracle to change stone into alabaster." He 
gazed at me as if he thought I was a fool, and 
I said no more ; but the incident reminded me 
of what President E. B. Fairfield, of Hillsdale 
College, Michigan, said while he was traveling 
in Palestine. He was shown in a certain city a 
skull of the Saviour, and in two or three days 
after, in another city, was shown another; so he 
said to the guide: "I saw at such a place, the 
skull of the Saviour two or three days ago; but 
it was much larger than this one." "That is all 
right," he replied, "but this was when he was a 
boy." I felt it is a very difficult task to drive any- 
thing out of the head of a superstitious priest 
with a sledge hammer. 

Some of the largest horses I ever saw were 
used in this city to draw great loads on carts. 
Some individuals would weigh two thousand four 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN in 

hundred pounds each. Dogs were employed in 
drawing milk carts and light loads. 

May 29th. Left for Brussels, Belgium, where 
we arrived at seven o'clock. Went to Hotel 
Britannica. Brussels is a city of four hun- 
dred thousand inhabitants. Streets broad, straight 
and clean. Public and private buildings are 
large and fine. The palace of King Leopold 
was near our hotel. The grounds are spacious 
and beautiful with lovely flower beds, and shrubs 
of all kinds and descriptions, while large forest 
trees rise in stately majesty, lending sublimity to 
the landscape. A high wall of stone encloses the 
royal facade, shutting out unwelcome intruders. 
Went to a concert in the park, and enjoyed the 
singing and instrumental music. 

May 31st. Went out of the city ten miles to 
visit the battlefield of Waterloo, where Napo- 
leon I was defeated by the English in 18 15. 
The ground is a natural battlefield; a gentle de- 
pression, or valley, quite wide and long, lies be- 
tween two sloping hills, not very high. The 
French army on one side and the English on the 
other; and from these points a fearful storm of 
battle raged until the English gained a signal 
victory. A guide pointed to a spot, saying, 
4 'Here the remnants of his beaten forces formed 



ii2 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

a square, with Napoleon in the center, and 
marched from the field, where he had staked all, 
and lost." To mark for all coming time the place 
where the seemingly invincible General of world 
renown was defeated, a circular mound of earth 
covering over two acres once drenched with blood 
has been raised, and stands over two hundred feet 
high and at the top nearly reached a point, and 
is only broad enough to admit of a large recum- 
bent lion to surmount it, made of guns taken from 
the French. This lion is twenty feet long and ten 
high, with his face turned toward Paris. The 
French objected to this, but were, not in a position 
to dictate and the English did as it pleased them. 
The victory was theirs, also the reward. The 
mound is kept in perfect shape by being nicely 
sodded. A good flight of steps, with railing on 
both sides, leads to the lion; so all who desire to 
climb up and descend can do so safely. With a 
wish in my heart that war will always be a thing 
of the past between those two nations, I left the 
field which means very much to them both, and re- 
turned to Brussels, and very soon left for Ant- 
werp, Holland. On our way we saw some quite 
extensive fields of red poppies in full bloom, and 
looking beautiful indeed. They are raised for 
the opium that is in them, I was told. The coun- 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 113 

try is low and mostly level, and many of the fer- 
tile fields have been reclaimed from the sea by 
the use of dikes. Antwerp is an old and very 
interesting city. As we reached our journey's 
end we were met by a hotel runner and conducted 
to the center of the town, where we found accom- 
modations which left nothing to be desired. At 
this point a large dock has been built, where great 
ships are anchored and loaded or unloaded, as 
the case may be, in the marvelous enterprise of 
transporting passengers or merchandise to all 
ports of the world. 

The cathedral is large and nice. Decorations 
are unique, but very uncommon. Near the altar 
and pulpit are hung two very costly red curtains 
ten feet wide and fifty feet long. Carved work of 
pheasants, hens, roosters, peacocks and turkey 
cocks, the latter with tails spread, completed the 
ornamentation. To me the sight was anything 
but inspiring. Dogs are used very much for 
light driving and work in the city. I saw a pair 
of large ones harnessed to a delicate wagon going 
at a lively gait drawing an old lady and gentle- 
man. Horses, for heavy work, are very large 
and strong. 

We visited the Art Museum and saw many 
fine pictures by Rubens and others, such as "The 



ii 4 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

Pool of Bethesda," "Adoration of the Magi," 
"Adoration of the Shepherds," "Crucifixion and 
Ascension"; also the four Marys returning from 
the sepulchre. We saw the chair used by the 
great painter, Rubens. It had a wooden frame 
and leather seat, which was well worn, yet was 
in a good state of preservation. Holland had a 
special charm and interest for me, for my grand- 
fathers, on both sides, were born there. 

June i st Left Antwerp for London. Had a 
pleasant ride on a train through Holland, crossed 
the arm of the sea to Flushing by boat, then into 
London by railroad; and, going to Brooks Hotel, 
where I had left my trunk, I felt my journey on 
that continent was practically ended. On June 
ioth, taking leave 1 of London, I started for Liver- 
pool, two hundred miles away, where I was to sail 
on the grand ocean steamer of the White Star 
line, Adriatic, for home. I carried two dozen 
fine large oranges in a basket on the train for 
use on the sea if I should want them; and a 
sharp English lawyer sitting close by asked why 
I had so many. I explained and said: "Try one, 
they are sweet and nice," and he said, "I will." 
He praised the orange highly and seemed much 
pleased with it, and became very talkative. He 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 115 

was free to sneer at the Bible, calling it a book of 
lies and old fables, and had much to say against 
the church and the Christian religion. I replied: 
"If your position is correct the Bible is false and 
religion an idle dream." He said: "Yes." I 
then said: "Please tell me which are the two 
greatest nations on the earth," and he said, "Most 
assuredly England and America." I said: "You 
have named the two nations who bend lowest be- 
fore the Bible and practice its teachings the best, 
while their moral character and intelligence chal- 
lenge the admiration of the world, and it is all 
due to the baleful influence of a lie." I con- 
tinued: "The orange you ate, did it grow on a 
good tree or a bad one?" and he said, "On a good 
tree." I said: "You do not care whether it was 
a low tree or a high one, with smooth or rough 
bark, so long as the fruit was good," and he said 
"No." So I said: "The tree of life, as revealed 
by the dear old Bible, producing the fruit of the 
grandest men and women on this earth, cannot 
be a bad tree, can it?" He grew red in the face, 
and reaching out his hand grasped mine, and said 
with deep emotion: "I own the truth, your position 
is right." He had been so absorbed in our con- 
versation that he passed the station where he 
wished to get off, and had to wait for another 



n6 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

train. As he bade me good-bye he said: "I am 
glad I lost the station." 

Arriving at Liverpool, and having to wait six 
hours, I spent the time profitably by visiting as 
many points of interest as I could, such as public 
buildings, art galleries and parks. It is a large 
fine city. At six o'clock a tender carried me out 
into the middle of Mersey River, so I could board 
the steamer for New York, and with feelings of 
regret I watched the shores of merry old England 
fade out of sight, and felt my heart throbbing 
with exquisite pleasure as I realized, if all was 
well, I would soon see dear familiar faces in my 
own native land. I had a very nice berth in the 
first cabin all to myself, with electric lights and a 
call bell. There were plenty of good books in 
the library to read and time passed swiftly while 
crossing the sea. Our food was of the best of 
everything, and plenty of it. The weather was 
fine most of the way, with only one storm one 
would call severe. In this one, a wave dashed 
clear over the steamer. I committed myself to 
the care of God and felt perfectly safe. In due 
time the ship slipped into her dock in the great 
metropolis of the New World, and I was home 
again. I had not been sick a day since leaving 
New York, for which I was grateful. 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 117 

Before leaving New York I bought a silk um- 
brella and carried it with me the whole trip, but 
never took it out of its case until I returned. 
Rain fell at different times, but it was while in 
the cars or at night. It did not take long after 
landing for a good train to take me to my church 
and people at Lake View, Pa., where I received a 
hearty welcome, and at once renewed, my pastoral 
duties. Before leaving for my journey I had 
caused to be erected a fine two hundred and fifty 
dollar granite monument at the grave of Mrs. 
Linderman to mark the place, so if I never re- 
turned her friends and mine could easily find it. 
There is always danger in crossing the ocean of 
never returning. But I was not even seasick. 
I brought home a picture or something for each 
of my congregation as a souvenir and afterwards 
gave a course of free lectures describing what I 
had seen to my people. I have lectured more or 
less ever since. People generally are eager to 
hear men speak on foreign travels and experiences. 
After listening to a lecture on Rome a lady said: 
"I have a serious criticism to make on the lec- 
ture." I replied I was glad if she had only one. 
She said it was not one-quarter long enough, as 
the time was so brief, and I said, "I spoke just 
two hours by my watch." In lecturing and 



n8 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

preaching I always try to secure and hold the at- 
tention of my hearers, so they do not get weary, 
or uneasy. I speak easy and without notes or a 
manuscript. I keep my eyes on my hearers and 
they watch me. I never lean on the pulpit or 
stir about, to speak of, but stand erect and in a 
natural position. Many preachers never seem to 
realize the wonderful power there is in a grace- 
ful and fascinating delivery. A poor sermon 
well delivered has better effect than a good one 
poorly delivered. People love to listen to a man 
who throws his soul in what he says, and how he 
says it. The preaching that is always acceptable, 
as to matter, is Jesus Christ, a risen Saviour for 
a fallen sinner. 

On July 8th, 1886, I was married to an amiable 
lady, Miss Carrie Huntley, of Phoenix, Oswego 
County, New York, daughter of Silas and Alida 
J. Huntley, which proved to be a very happy 
union. We went at once to my pastorate in 
Pennsylvania, and as we reached the parsonage 
were met by about a dozen women of my parish, 
who cordially welcomed the new bride, and con- 
gratulated us both. Their husbands soon came 
and were introduced, and we all accepted the in- 
vitation of those splendid women to partake of a 
bounteous and dainty supper they had prepared 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 119 

for the occasion. In the evening the whole con- 
gregation assembled to extend a cordial welcome 
to the stranger who had come to be a blessing to 
them, and to me. Right royally and gladly did 
she assume the responsibilities of a pastor's wife, 
and helper; adapting herself readily to her new 
position, its duties, joys and cares. We remained 
with that church until April, 1887, anc ^ from the 
very first to the last day of the pastorate God's 
blessing was on the community. I wish to make 
special mention of some of the splendid men and 
women who were faithful, efficient workers : Dea- 
con A. D. Corse and wife, Luther Barret, wife 
and mother, L. D. Hall and wife, Polly, Jasper 
Avery and wife, also Nettie Avery, Alvin Barret 
and wife, Alonzo Barret and wife, Calvin Pres- 
cott and wife, Henry Tyler and wife, John Stod- 
dard and wife, O. C. Whitney and wife, also his 
father and mother, Asa Norris and wife, Horace 
Stoddard and wife, Mattie Bryant, Almeron 
French and wife, and many others. Among the 
converts honorable mention should be made of 
Delos Washburn, wife and children, David Bry- 
ant, wife and children, Hollis Barret, wife and 
children, Carrie Stoddard and sisters, Anna and 
Edith Stoddard, Nettie and Dollie Houghtalen, 
Nellie Pease, and very many others. Some of 



120 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

this goodly number have entered into rest, others 
are still doing good work in the Master's vine- 
yard at this date, 19 10. I accepted a call to a 
church, East Hamlin, Monroe County, N. Y., 
and entering this new field, were kindly received 
and a good work was done. On May 8th, 1887, 
our first child, George, Jr., was born, and August 
14th, 1889, a second son, Adelbert C, and Feb- 
ruary 10th, 1892, Lois H., and July 18th, 1896, 
Carrie, 2d. These four children are still spared 
to us and are now 23, 21, 18, and 14 years old, a 
joy and an honor to our home, and a source of 
inexpressible gladness and thanksgiving to us, as 
parents. In 1888 I had a strong impression 
forced upon my heart that to yield to oft repeated 
requests to devote my time to revival work, would 
be safe and best. Men could be pastors, who 
were not adapted for this special line of service. 
So I moved my family to Phoenix, N. Y., and 
went forth as an evangelist. My first point was 
Fairport, N. Y., with good results. Next, I went 
to Cleveland, Ohio, where a glorious work was 
done. There was a great demand for my serv- 
ices in the churches to assist pastors or without 
them, for I entered every door opened to me 
where I could do anything to better the condition 
of men, changing sorrow into gladness, and com- 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 121 

plaint into praise. For several years I followed 
this blessed occupation, not sparing myself, until 
failing health called a halt. December 16th, 
1889, we moved to Paw Paw, Van Buren. County, 
Michigan, where I bought a house and fine garden 
spot of six acres; and inside of a week, before we 
were half settled in the new home, I left the 
wife and two little boys to do revival work in 
Michigan, to fill previous engagements, and the 
blessing of God was upon those efforts, often in a 
striking manner. Churches were revived, the 
lukewarm were quickened, and sinners converted 
in large numbers. My methods were simple and 
direct. Nothing sensational, or of a clap-trap 
nature was resorted to in order to attract a 
crowd, but reliance upon the Holy Spirit, and a 
clear, earnest presentation of the truth as taught 
in the Bible was all that was necessary to attract 
the people, who are sure to go where the long- 
ings of their souls can be met and satisfied. As 
a general thing, with favorable conditions, the 
house or church would fill nearly to its capacity 
the third night, and converting power would 
manifest itself before the end of the first week. 
One pastor said: u You have come to a very hard 
place, the people are so indifferent to religious 
matters." But I said: "Duties are ours, results 



122 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

belong to God." That very night a leading citi- 
zen, a man of strong influence, declared he was 
weary of sin and wanted to be a Christian. The 
next night a man noted for irreligion, a sheriff of 
the county, with others, yielded to God, and be- 
fore the close of the week, the town was in re- 
ligious convulsions, and that humiliated and as- 
tonished pastor said, if lightning out of a clear 
sky had struck the town, he would not have been 
so surprised. I begun a meeting once, on Tues- 
day evening, and Friday night, four days later 
over forty had declared their faith in Christ as a 
personal Saviour, and a few days later I went to a 
beautiful lake near by and baptized forty-five, 
and in the evening organized a church of ninety- 
six members. At one place, as I had just begun 
a series of meetings, a hardened, sinful old man 
met me on the street, and asked, u Do you think 
you can convert anybody here?" I replied: "No, 
sir; I don't claim to have converting power, but 
I serve an Almighty God who has, and you may 
see displays of saving love very soon if you look 
for them"; and he did. A lovely young lady 
tenderly declared her purpose to live a God-fear- 
ing life, and asked us to pray 1 for her skeptical old 
father, who, a little while before this, had de- 
cided to kill himself by hanging; but he was glori- 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 123 

ously saved; also another old infidel, his close 
neighbor, with his son-in-law, a son of the man 
who sneeringly asked if I thought I could con- 
vert anybody there, and his daughter, with many 
more, and the glorious work did not stop until 
the whole community was revolutionized and a 
strong church formed there. Generally, I did 
not attack men living in sin as many preachers 
do, but endeavored in a kind and encouraging 
manner to hold up a risen Saviour, a perfect ex- 
ample as a man to pattern after by us all; and, of 
course, the difference between such a life and 
their own would naturally create a desire to be rid 
of the wrong that made the difference so great, 
and seeking the remedy in Christ the work was 
done. The truth, believed and acted upon, will 
completely change the whole life and character of 
anyone testing it. I never knew it to fail. 

I never had the unpleasant encounters with 
angry opposers as many evangelists do, for "a 
soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous 
words stir up anger." My desire was always to 
get the good will of all, if possible, by carefully 
guarding against stirring up opposition. For 
instance, at a certain place an old man was pointed 
out to me as a bad man, and the pastor wondered 
why he came to our meeting, for he was a wife 



i2 4 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

beater and a drunkard. I said: "So much more 
need is there for his coming, so he can get help to 
overcome his bad habits and be gloriously saved." 

One night, in preaching, I said: "A lost man 
is bewildered and does not know how to be set 
right, as the Bible to him is a sealed book, and 
none of us may know T how such a man secretes a 
breaking heart, or how he longs to be freed from 
the sins which are ruining him." The next day I 
called at his house, and he welcomed me with 
tears of gladness, saying: "If any man ever told 
the truth, you did it last night, " referring to what 
I said about a breaking heart, and with a trem- 
bling voice said: "That is me." Then he asked: 
"Is there any hope for an old sinner like me?" 
and I said, "Yes," and explained simply the 
course he must pursue and the blessing would cer- 
tainly come. The first thing he did was to ask 
pardon of his good old wife for all of his mean- 
ness to her and their children, which was readily 
granted. And then at church he made himself 
right with his neighbors and God gave him an- 
other heart. His conversion was very pro- 
nounced and complete. God can and will save, 
to the uttermost, all who repent and obey. 

An Evangelist of necessity should be well 
posted, for emergencies will arise when he is not 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 125 

looking for them. Many people desire to ask 
questions which to them are of deep moment; so I 
provided for this point by saying, publicly, that I 
would read and answer if I could, all questions 
pertaining to the Bible and the destiny of the 
soul, if they were plainly written on slips of pa- 
per and laid upon the desk. One night I found 
quite a number, and proceeded to read them, 
when this one appeared: "Please prove to me 
that the Bible is the word of God." I replied: 
"This is a great problem to be solved in so short 
a time, and this is my answer: 1st. All objectors 
refuse to believe the Bible because they do not 
understand it all; and it is absolutely true that a 
man cannot write or produce that which he does 
not comprehend or understand; therefore, its 
origin is higher than that of man, and that origin 
is God. 2d. The teaching of the Bible does what 
no other system of religion or philosophy ever has 
done or can do, reconstruct the soul and com- 
pletely change the whole life. 3d. The Bible 
perfectly satisfies the deepest needs and longings 
of the human heart and can make perfect the 
whole man; and God only can do this, and the 
Bible is His revelation." 

A very bright young man, a prosperous mer- 
chant, asked me one afternoon if I was very busy, 



126 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

and I said, "No, only to get ready for evening 
meeting"; so he said, "Will you go home with 
me, as I wish to talk with you?" "Certainly," I 
replied. He left the store in care of the clerk, 
took me to a nice home and introduced me to his 
wife, a lovely Christian worker in the meetings; 
then sat down facing me and frankly said he did 
not believe the Bible or the Christian religion, 
and would give all the world if he owned it if 
he could, for the Christian man was superior to 
any other, and certainly happier. "Well," I 
said, "your case is not at all hopeless"; but he 
said: "It is, for I have talked with many clergy- 
men and others, and none of them could help 
me." "God can help you, I know, and now tell 
me your main trouble," I replied; and he said, 
"I do not believe in the Trinity in the Godhead, 
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I do be- 
lieve in one eternal God; that he is not divided 
into three persons, and, of course, I reject Jesus 
Christ." So, having the matter clearly before 
me, I said: "I desire to ask you a few simple 
questions, ist. Do you believe God created you 
in his own image?" "Yes," he said, "I do." 
2d. "You have a union in yourself of body and 
mind, or soul?" He said, "Yes." "Perfectly 
clear, is it?" I asked. "Yes," he said. 3d. "Are 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 127 

there not different functions of the same mind 
you readily recognize, as conscience, feeling, and 
will, and these are all in your own mind, but it is 
not divided, but different manifestations of the 
same mind, making a marvelous unity in the com- 
plete man." He thoughtfully said "Yes"; then 
I said: "You own there is a perfect trinity in your- 
self, and that you are made in the image of God, 
and if the creature has a trinity made in his im- 
age, who can be just and complain if God sees 
fit to manifest Himself in three ways, the Father, 
and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and these three 
are One, whether we understand it or not. It is 
ours to believe and accept, the manifestations He 
has revealed of Himself, and be not faithless, 
but believing." 

He reached out his hand, and grasping mine, 
said: "I see it all, I surrender," and falling upon 
his knees beside his rejoicing wife he gave him- 
self to God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. He 
wrote me later that the doctrine of the Trinity 
was perfectly clear to! him and the world all about 
him had a new meaning and beauty because he 
had surrendered to the Authority which could and 
did illumine his understanding and saved his soul. 

In all my efforts as a pastor or evangelist I 
made it clear that I believed firmly that there is 



128 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

a Heaven to gain, and a hell to shun, "for what- 
soever a man sovveth that shall he also reap." It 
has been my happy privilege to conduct over ioo 
successful series of revival meetings, and the good 
that resulted from the efforts put forth, I wish to 
ascribe all of the honor and glory to God, and 
deeply regret that I have not done more and 
better work in His name. 

The years have passed all too quickly and I 
am nearing the setting sun of a long and strenu- 
ous life in labors of love in the cause of Christ 
and humanity, but the lengthening shadows have 
no terrors, as I believe, for me. "At evening 
time it shall be light." 

I will now insert two or three sermons, and 
also a couple of poems composed and written by 
my wife. 

Sermon, Matt. 16:18. Upon this rock I will 
build my church, and the gates of hell shall not 
prevail against it. Theme, The stability of the 
Christian church. The durability of a structure 
depends largely on the foundation upon which it 
is built. Place never so good material, or how- 
ever well put together upon an unsafe basis, and 
no one will be surprised when the building falls. 

The process of erection is subject to all the 
vicissitudes of changeable weather, the skillfulness 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 129 

or unskillfulness of the workman, yet the plan is 
the same, and though" the work may be retarded 
by a failure here, or a mistake there, ultimately it 
will be completed. Place it on a good strong 
foundation and the builder will be rewarded for 
his toil. The Christian church is a stupendous 
structure, built upon the Divinity of Christ, and 
though hindered by great obstacles, victory must 
be sure. 

Doubts and fears are disturbing the tranquillity 
of the American Republic to-day, as to the safety 
of the cause of Christ, and that there are causes 
for apprehension we do not deny when we look at 
the perfidy of some of the professed followers of 
Jesus; yet the existence of a counterfeit bank 
note is positive proof of the genuine. No judi- 
cious man would throw into the fire all of the 
national currency in his possession because he dis- 
covers an imitation of the true; so is it with the 
just man in matters of religion. The purity of 
the waters of the ocean is maintained by its mo- 
tion, and the air we breathe is cleansed by cloud 
and storm. 

The devastating wars of Napoleon produced a 
shock which taught all Europe that Jehovah is 
the God of all nations, and He will vindicate the 
rights of His church. "I was but a youth," says 



130 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

Professor Tholock, "when Germany was called 
to contend for her freedom, but I well remem- 
ber that this memorable event awakened religious 
desires in hearts that until then had remained 
strangers to every Christian sentiment." Every 
one was penetrated with this thought, that if aid 
came not from on high none was to be expected 
on earth. If there were no struggles in the work 
of the church self-sufficiency would creep in and 
defeat the work itself. Man's strength lies in his 
humility, and his ability to do is in proportion to 
his firm trust in God. 

The text suggests that there will be a struggle 
and contention in the glorious work of the church, 
but the gates, or councils of hell, shall not pre- 
vail against it. An English poet tersely ex- 
pressed the sentiment that loyal hearts and lives 
are put to the test in the following lines : 

"Till from the straw the corn the flail doth beat, 
Until the chaff be purged from the wheat; 
Yea, till the mill the grains in pieces tear, 
The richness of the flour will scarce appear. 
So, till men's persons great afflictions touch, 
If worth be found their worth is not so much ; 
Because like wheat in straw they have not yet 
That value which in thrashing they may get; 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 131 

For till the bruising flails of God's corrections, 
Have thrashed out of us our vain affections. 
Till those corruptions which do misbecome us 
Are by thy sacred spirit winnowed from us; 
Until the straw of worldly treasures, 
Till all the dusty chaff of empty pleasures; 
Yea, till His flail upon us He doth lay, 
To thrash the husk of this our flesh away, 
And leave the soul uncovered; yet more — 
Till God shall make our very spirits pour, 
We shall not up to highest wealth aspire, 
But then we shall and that is my desire." 

In speaking of the Christian church let us no- 
tice, first, the foundation upon which it is built, 
and it is apparent to all thoughtful men the 
Divinity of Christ the Rock of Ages, "Other 
foundation can no man lay than that which is 
laid, Jesus Christ, Himself, being the corner 
stone," and as He was "the way, the truth and 
the life," speaking with reverence, God Himself 
could lay no stronger foundation. The fierce 
storms of persecution and opposition have been 
hurled against it through the ages, but sublimely 
she stands, the joy of the whole earth. 

Second. The builder and material. Jesus said, 
"I will build my church," and the very fact that 



i 3 2 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

we are blessed with a church proves its Divine 
origin. He who framed the earth and built the 
sky, also manages the seas, can most certainly 
rear the mightiest palace on earth or in Heaven 
for his believing children. The material is the 
best among men and women everywhere the Gos- 
pel is preached and believed, for voluntary offer- 
ings are made to Christ for the church by every 
soul soundly converted to God, through the 
operation of the Holy Spirit. The power of de- 
liberate choice is brought into use, for it is written 
"choose ye this day whom ye will serve; if God 
be God, serve Him; but if Baal, serve him." 
The brightest, cleanest minds master the grandest 
truths, and appropriate and practice them; and 
Christ as the master builder places them where 
they are fitted to be in His house which cannot be 
destroyed. 

Third. The structure and its duration. He 
who can paint the clouds with the sunset's glow, 
and tint the rose with its most delicate colors, 
knows exactly how to fashion his spiritual church 
in the Celestial City where the streets are paved 
with gold, and night never enters. Christ builds 
for eternity and blessed are they who form a part 
of His church. 

Fourth. The church is the Bride of Christ, 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 133 

and will live to all eternity. Principles will live 
when all material things have ceased to be. 
Truth is eternal, and cannot be destroyed. When 
the councils of hell have come to naught, the 
glorious old Rock of Ages will ever remain, and 
the Christian church will forever stand. 

"Like some tall cliff that lifts its awful form, 
Swells from the base and midway meets the 

storm ; 
Though round its breast the rolling clouds are 

spread, 
Eternal sunshine settles on its head." 

(Published by request.) 

Outline of a memorial sermon in honor of Mrs. 
Anna Parker Allen, wife of Rev. Paul Allen, who 
died at Norwich, N. Y., April 4th, 19 10, preached 
in the First Congregational Church of Coventry- 
ville, N. Y., by the pastor, Rev. G. P. Linder- 
man. Text: Pro v. 31:10. "Who can find a 
virtuous woman, for her price is far above 
rubies." Theme: consecrated womanhood. 

The meaning of this passage is, not only is a 
virtuous woman pure and chaste in her life, lan- 
guage, thought and influence, aims and desires, 
but full of purpose, courage, force and decision. 



i 3 4 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

She has opinions of her own and expresses them 
without fear or favor, at the call of duty to her- 
self and those she may influence. That this text 
applies to the lady whose name we tenderly revere 
we are free to admit; but it also applies to any 
good and noble woman. Solomon's question does 
not preclude the fact that such women did not live 
in his time, but called attention especially to their 
worth, that her value could not be measured by 
rubies or any earthly consideration and no price 
can be put upon her work. This question is 3000 
years old; but we of the twentieth century gladly 
say, thank God, we have found her; thank God 
we know and love her in the person and beautiful 
character of Mrs. Anna Parker Allen; and not 
only so, but through the developing influence of the 
Gospel of Christ, this class of women has be- 
come so common that if this question, who can 
find a virtuous woman, be asked of almost any 
good man in this country, instantly he will say: 
"I have her in my home, in my wife and in my 
daughter," and we believe he would be speaking 
the truth. 

Such glorious women are numbered in our 
highly favored land by the million. Who can 
fathom the depth of the love of a wife or a 
mother. We look with deep interest upon the 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 135 

very common sight of a fond mother rocking the 
cradle with one foot on the rocker, while she 
gently sings a tender cradle song; and we admit 
that she who rocks the cradle rules the world, 
and the foot that jars that rocker shakes the 
earth. All honor to her. 

I wish now to speak of a few women of Bible 
times as well as of some of recent date. When 
the beautiful Queen Esther knew of the fearful 
calamity which threatened the extinction of the 
Jews, her people, by the perfidy of Haman of 
the Persian court, she conferred with her Uncle 
Mordecai, and said: "Fast ye and pray for me; I 
also, and my maidens will fast; and I will go 
unto the King (Ahasuerus) though not accord- 
ing to the law, and, if I perish I perish. What 
was her life, and the splendors of the King's 
court and palace, to her, in comparison with the 
life and liberty of a whole nation? The mar- 
velous strength of her character is seen in her per- 
fect willingness to lay herself on the altar as a 
sacrifice to save if possible the people she loved. 
And as long as the world stands the praises of 
the lovely Queen Esther will be sung by an ap- 
preciative and admiring people. 

When Naomi, of the land of Judah, sojourn- 
ing for a time because of a famine in her native 



136 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

home, in the land of Moab, was about to return, 
her daughter-in-law, Ruth, desired to accompany 
her; but she advised her to stay with her own 
kindred. And Ruth, though born and educated 
a heathen, said: "Entreat me not to leave thee, 
or from following after thee, for whither thou 
goest I will go, and where thou lodgest I will 
lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy 
God my God. Where thou diest I will die, and 
there will I be buried." Her inflexible purpose 
prevailed, and like a wave on the shore of the 
sea all opposition broke at her feet. She was no 
longer a heathen, she had chosen God and His 
people for her portion. God heard what she 
said, u Thy people my people; thy God my God," 
and He honored her as very few women have 
ever been honored, by allowing her to be- 
come the great ancestress of Our Lord Jesus 
Christ. 

The valor of her decision and strength of her 
will have challenged the admiration of the people 
of all the ages. The virtue and glory of a grand 
woman was recognized by the Apostle Paul when 
he wrote to Timothy commending his faith, which 
he said, "was in thy mother Eunice and in thy 
grandmother Lois, and also is in thee," showing 
that the finest, purest traits of character are trans- 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 137 

mitted and handed down from one generation to 
another by God-fearing, consecrated women. 

Coming down to our own time and people, you 
remember, about twelve years ago, the death of 
a marvelous woman who was universally loved 
and honored by a grateful world. She was no- 
body's wife, she was nobody's mother, yet all 
true men doffed the hat at the mention of her 
name, Miss Frances A. Willard. Gifted above 
ordinary women with a broad discerning mind 
and a deep spirituality, she espoused the cause of 
the oppressed by the rum fiend, and breathed new 
hope into the drunkard's heart and cheered his 
poverty-stricken wife and children. That strong 
and brainy men opposed her and differed widely 
from her views and methods, it is true; yet, with 
undaunted courage and fidelity, she used voice, 
pen and influence in the cause of Christ and hu- 
manity until she made her name immortal; and 
while gratitude lingers in the breasts of the lowly 
and great, her sublime life and labors will be an 
inspiration to kind words and lofty deeds. To- 
day we bow submissively in deep sadness to the 
Divine Will, and we pass under the shadow of a 
great bereavement by the death of a beautiful 
woman who had scarcely reached the noon of her 
life. Born in this community, emerged into 



138 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

lovely womanhood, was converted and joined this 
church, ever lending a helping hand in sustaining 
all of its best interests, and with fast developing 
intellect, to satisfy a strong craving for an educa- 
tion, she attended school at Oxford and also at 
Cazenovia. How little she realized in this men- 
tal up-climbing that she was fitting herself for 
the grandest position to which a woman ever 
aspired, the wife of a blessed minister of the 
Gospel of Christ. An unseen hand guided the 
willing feet and shaped her destiny. She was not 
only a wife and mother such as she only could be, 
but was a comfort and joy to all who were for- 
tunate enough to know and prize her. I do not 
betray any confidence when I say, as I called at 
the home of the bereft parents, Mr. and Mrs. 
Parker, a large number of letters were placed in 
my hands from sympathizing friends, far and 
near, who knew and loved her. I read some of 
them and found that the writers were moved by 
the same spirit which sways us all, an awful sor- 
row because death had paled the cheek and si- 
lenced the voice which was music to all who heard 
it. She was modest, unassuming, and genial; her 
manner simple and refined. The greeting she 
gave me the first Sabbath I was here, saying she 
hoped I would come and labor with the people 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 139 

and help build up the cause of Christ, I will al- 
ways cherish. While memory lasts I will never 
forget her. 

We extend as a church and community our 
tenderest sympathies to father and mother, 
brother, husband and child. 

I have officiated at the open grave for fifty 
years, but in all of that time I have never wit- 
nessed such a home coming as on the 7th of April, 
when we gently laid her away to sleep until the 
morning of the resurrection. Peace to her blessed 
memory. 

"Sister, thou wast mild and lovely, 
Gentle as a summer breeze ; 
Pleasant as the air of evening, 
When it floats among the trees. 

"Peaceful be thy silent slumber, 
Peaceful in the grave so low; 
Thou no more wilt join our number, 
Thou no more our songs shalt know. 

"Yet again we hope to meet thee, 
When the day of life has fled; 
Then in Heaven with joy to greet thee, 
Where no farewell tear is shed." 



140 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

Of consecrated woman we say, God bless her; 
"Give her the fruit of her hands and let her own 
words praise her inthe gates." 

Outline of a funeral sermon preached Septem- 
ber 1 6th, 19 10, at Coventryville, N. Y., by the 
pastor, G. P. Linderman, at the funeral of Mr. 
Henry Calkins, who died September 14th, 19 10, 
in the 85th year of his age. Text: Isaiah 64:6. 
"We all do fade as a leaf." 

A leaf appears to be a very insignificant thing 
in itself, as it is only one of millions on millions 
of innumerable plants and trees, beautifying and 
enlivening all nature in summer time; yet it has 
an individuality of its own, for in all of the vast 
forests of the world there is none just like it. 
The wisdom of God is seen in its perfection; the 
perfect veins and delicate web, its green tints and 
tapering form make it a thing of beauty and joy. 
At the behest of God it is born a tiny bud, and ex- 
pands into full size and strength; and by the 
breath of God it fades and dies. We can not 
notice the falling leaf without a feeling of deep 
sadness, for it is a sure and striking symbol of 
the mortality of mankind. 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 14 1 

"The wind breathes low, 

The yellow leaf scarce whispers from the 
tree, 
So gently flows the parting breath, 
When good men cease to be." 

Like a leaf, a man, strictly speaking, has no 
duplicate in time or eternity, but stands alone in 
his own entity, as complete as he would be if he 
was the only one in the universe; yet, like leaves, 
there is a close similarity in appearance, and na- 
ture, so that the Prophet truly says, "We all do 
fade as a leaf." There are specific reasons why 
this is true. 

1st. Because it is God's revealed plan, that 
man shall not live forever as a mortal being. "It 
is appointed unto men, once to die, and after this 
the judgment." 

That there is glory in the natural life is unde- 
niable, but the glory of the spiritual is infinitely 
above and beyond it. There are so many changes 
in the mortal experience, entailing great uncer- 
tainty and overshadowing the happiest life with 
fearful forebodings and conscious unrest, that the 
spirit within longs for a state and surroundings 
free from these things. How beautiful the sight 
of a lovely family of children full of promise and 



142 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

glee, as the fond father and mother kiss them 
good night, and listen to their evening prayer, 
feeling oh, how blessed we are in our home with 
these innocent buds of promise while visions of a 
prosperous life fill their minds as to the future 
career of all of these little ones; but as uncon- 
scious of any fear of danger as possible, a pang 
of sadness creeps into the parental heart that 
danger of accident or disease may be lurking near 
and ere the night is gone their joy may be changed 
to sorrow, and their hopes into despair. This is 
the common lot of all, that while seemingly we 
are in the sunlight of prosperity, we are surely 
entering the shadow of death. We all do fade 
as a leaf. 

2d. Death is God's method of transporting his 
people from one stage of existence to another, 
from time to eternity. Our methods of traveling 
are so improved over those of past ages that it 
seems in comparison that distance is almost anni- 
hilated, and the nations on the other side of the 
globe have become our close neighbors. We can 
accommodate a few hundred, or thousands, on 
our best railroad trains, or largest ocean steam- 
ers, but God can remove a whole nation, or an 
Empire in a day. ''Thou changest his counte- 
nance and sendest him away." 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 143 

The thief on the cross said to Jesus, "Remem- 
ber me when thou comest into thy kingdom." 
And Jesus said unto him, "To-day shalt thou be 
with me in Paradise." We have good and sub- 
stantial reasons for believing that when we close 
our eyes on mortal things we instantly open 
them upon scenes immortal, and at death do not 
lose consciousness. 

Job says, "And though after my skin worms 
destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." 
And Saint Paul longed to depart and be with 
Christ. Dying Christians are all cheered with 
the thought: 

"I'll soon be at home over there, 

For the end of my journey I see; 
Many dear to my heart over there 
Are watching and waiting for me." 

The moral standing of a man is in no way 
changed by death, but his character will be fixed 
and permanent. With this life is probation, but 
at death we must expect judgment. If a man is 
so unwise as to choose to do wrong, and lives and 
dies as a rebel, against the authority of God, I 
believe the best provision for such a man that 
even God can make has been made; that he shall 



i 4 4 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

be separated from God and the glory of His 
power; and, like Judas, be allowed to u go to his 
own place." Man is the architect of his own 
moral being. 

The glory of this world vanishes and fades be- 
cause there is a grander life yet to be revealed. 

3d. Man's eternal well being and glory can 
only be secured by fading in time to live again in 
eternity. The dead and seared leaf seems to 
say, this is all ; but a sure voice whispers behind 
it, there will be another Spring time, for God 
has said it shall be. 

With our aged father whose death we mourn, 
we have lived and walked the common path of 
life for many years ; but now we must lay him 
away gently, in a dreamless sleep, and leave him 
alone with God. Because of our bereavement 
here, we are obliged to say good night, but yon- 
der, in a grander, brighter clime, we will say good 
morning. 

EASTER LILY. 

The beautiful lily, sweet emblem of love, 
Divine in its mission and sent from above ; 
The grasses surround it in purity's bloom, 
With their soft drooping heads, a willowy 
plume. 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 145 

There on her grassy throne of velvety green, 
The maid of the morning, the beautiful queen; 
Our homage we pay her, our tribute we bring, 
She's robed in white garments, this beautiful 
queen. 

Still bowing to angels and bathed in her tears, 
She tells the sweet story, that's been told for 

years ; 
Of a manger, a Christ, known all the world 

'round ; 
Of a loving Saviour, a cross and a crown. 

She kneels and is weeping, by His sacred tomb ; 
The sovereign has left it, in silence and gloom. 
Hark! She hears a sweet voice, has heard it 

before! 
The Christ, He is risen, I've opened the door. 

Look up, fairest lily, and hear what I say, 
There is no more night, Christ is risen to-day; 
Oh, dry your pearly drops, dear precious flower, 
Christ is enthroned above, in Him is Power. 

Carrie H. Linderman, 

Syracuse, N. Y. 



146 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

DECORATION DAY. 

"Old Glory" floats in yonder sky, 

In mighty grandeur waves, 
Red, white and blue, as the boys pass by, 

Down to their separate graves. 

It has won our nation's victory 

And we revere its powers; 
We are proud to own "Old Glory" 

And to know that it is ours. 

We have fought the battles for it, 
We have stood the shot and shell. 

Few old veterans left to-day, 

For hundreds of thousands fell. 

They fell in the path of duty, 

Ready for any command; 
Fell with their glittering fire arms, 

And buried under the sand. 

Just a few this side of Jordan 
Who can now the story tell ; 

Just a few and slowly marching, 
Stepping, to the distant knell. 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 147 

Every year their ranks grow thinner, 

Every day we say, good-bye, 
To some one of these brave soldiers 

Who have fought to win, or die. 

When the nation's war cry sounded 

We must fight to end this strife. 
The call it came, Who'll sign his name 

And if need be, give his life? 

The clouds hung heavy overhead, 

Their linings, too, were dark; 
A single star could not be seen, 

Not even a tiny spark. 

O, those anxious days of weeping 

And nights of sleepless hours; 
When we questioned, one the other, 

Must it be your son, or ours? 

O, the heartaches of the mothers, 
And that precious, promised bride, 

Of the daughters and their lovers 
With so much, so much, beside; 

Fathers torn from home and loved ones, 
Mothers left with all to get, 



i 4 8 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

Bending 'neath their heavy burdens, 
Can a pension pay this debt? 

Every day the painted signboards 
Told of loved ones passing o'er, 

Told of wounded, dead and dying, 
Lying on that field of gore. 

Then the waiting for the letters 
From the bloodstained battlefield, 

Trembling, too, lest they should bring them 
News within a black band sealed. 

And with it, a tender message, 
Given to some comrade dear: 

u Tell her that I died a hero, 
To kiss mother, with a tear." 

Let us consecrate one May day 
To think over all these years; 

Mourning with the broken hearted, 
Mingle with their grief our tears. 

Carry flowers, wreaths and garlands 
To the place where now they sleep; 

Decorate the graves of heroes 
And in sorrow for them weep. 



REV. G. P. LINDERMAN 149 

Seek out every bier imbedded, 

Underneath the grassy sod, 
Lift our grateful voices heavenward, 

In thanksgiving to our God ; 

He, who gave in time of trouble, 

When our country was at stake, 
Men of courage, brave and dauntless, 

Given for Old Glory's sake. 

Carrie Huntley Linderman. 



FEB 1 1912 



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